Cape Town - International Peace College South Africa (IPSA) is undergoing a massive renovation project in preparation for an expansion of its offering in Islamic scholarship and research.
The college, situated on the corner of Johnston and Duine Road, Rylands Estate, Gatesville, was the first Islamic tertiary private institute in South Africa to obtain accreditation from the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Since its establishment in 2005, IPSA now offers a number of accredited courses, including a higher certificate in Islamic studies; Bachelor of Arts in Islamic studies; BA Honours Degree in Islamic studies; and Master’s in Applied Islamic Thought.
The college is also working to obtain an accreditation for a PhD degree to include in their offering.
The college facilitates a number of shorter courses and workshops tailor-made to cover contemporary issues.
IPSA chairperson advocate Abubakr Mohamed said: “We looked at an opportunity to now raise the bar and raise the standard of IPSA as not just another Islamic college or a madrassah in a traditional sense, but a college that would provide higher Islamic thoughts in terms of research and what we call the maqasid.”
IPSA vice-chairperson Nazier Osman said construction started in December 2023.
“We’ve got four phases: first is the classrooms, which are the lecturers’ classrooms, and then it’s the administration block, then it’s the actual auditoriums and libraries, and thereafter, including in that, we’ll be having an orphanage also. The orphanage will be a 40-student accommodation orphanage.”
The anticipated completion of construction is towards the end of the year with an opening/launch estimated around February 2025, Osman added.
Prior to the construction project, the college was able to accommodate 150 students, but will now be able to cater for 350. Despite still being an active construction site, there are already glimpses of serene and tranquil features added to both the interior and exterior landscape, creating an even more conducive and prime environment for enhanced learning and teaching.
IPSA CEO Shaykh Dr Dawood Terblanche said the current cohort of students comprises about 150.
“We opened our doors in 2005 with the amalgamation of the two institutions, which was ICOSA (the former Islamic College Southern Africa) and the other one was Darul Arqam Islamic Institute, which was under the Muslim Judicial Council at the time. So that was the visionary leadership that came together to form this institution. So IPSA was really the first Islamic tertiary private institution in South Africa to be accredited, there was no other institution.”
Cape Argus