Aims & Objectives

The Design Education Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) is a professional organization of design educators, spanning most design disciplines such as industrial, graphic, interior, clothing, ceramic, textile, jewellery, as well as commercially focused photography.

VISION

The Design Education Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) shall be a forum consisting of design educators and design practitioners furthering the interests of design education

MISSION

• DEFSA shall establish appropriate links with industry, government departments, professional bodies and similar design organisations
• It shall strive to foster and promote all facets of design through design education initiatives in Southern Africa in particular, on the continent of Africa and further abroad
• Furthermore, DEFSA shall endeavour to promote relevant research with the focus on design

AIMS

The aim of the Forum is to foster design education in the Southern African region. The forum will strive to fulfill its aim by :

1. Ensuring that liaison is maintained between relevant primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education in matters pertaining to design education, between Universities of Technology, Further Education and Training Institutions (FETs), private institutions, education authorities and the design industry.
2. Promoting excellence in design education at all levels in both the formal and informal educational environments by:
   • Setting goals and formulating objectives for design education;
   • Addressing issues regarding the quality including quality assurance, relevance and viability of curriculum structure and content;
   • Identifying needs and initiating, encouraging and co-ordinating research and development programmes;
   • Raising the general level of design literacy and awareness;
   • Acting as a catalyst / mediator for development in design education;
   • Giving greater credibility to the recommendations / requests / demands made by design educationists within their individual institutions.
3. Keeping abreast of information, research and development relating to design education and design practice both locally and internationally.
4. Encouraging the development and utilisation of local design skills so as to enable the Southern African region to develop its manufacturing industry at all levels in the formal as well as the informal sectors.
5. Acting as the authoritative voice for design educators and to represent professionally, responsibly and democratically the interests and concerns of design education in the Southern African region.
6. To maintain the fundamental and reciprocal links between design education, the visual arts and art education in order to enhance the creative essence of the designer's formative training.