On February 15, 2013, the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) welcomed a guest from South Africa: Dr. Vijay Reddy, Executive Director of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) South Africa visited the NEPS to gather information concerning the design and the theoretical foundation of the study.
From left to right: Sara Kretschmer, Nicole Lidzba, Dr. Jutta von Maurice, Dr. Vijay Reddy, Dr. Michaela Sixt, Dr. Sabine Zinn
After an introductory speech by Dr. Jutta von Maurice, Vijay Reddy seemed favorably impressed by the NEPS's multicohort sequence design and referred to plans by the HSRC to launch a panel study itself. This will be designed to accompany African adolescents through transition periods to higher education or the job market after Grade 9. Hence, Dr. Reddy was highly interested in the NEPS design of Starting Cohort 4—Grade 9. In particular, she wanted to learn more about tracking, incentives, as well as survey modes and content. The discussion made clear that even though some differences must be taken into account, the many existing parallels between the two studies can be regarded as an excellent foundation for a close cooperation between the NEPS and the HSRC in the future.