AASU is the largest student movement in Africa and a very dominant force on the Continent and beyond. The All-Africa Students Union (AASU) organizes all students in Africa – from the basic level to Institutions of higher learning; in essence, the Union is the umbrella organization for all students of Africa. Since its inception in 1972, AASU now has presence in 54 Countries in Africa. As the Continent’s largest students group, AASU played an important role in the struggle against colonialism and the ending of apartheid. Today, AASU is at the forefront of the fights for equal access to quality education, quality assurance in higher education, harmonization of higher education systems – with key emphasis on mobility of academics and comparability of qualifications, democratic governance, defending students’ rights, promotion of gender and African culture, sustainable development, entrepreneurship, fostering of academic freedom, freedom of research and autonomy of higher institutions of learning, and the promotion of peace and democratic values, and other noteworthy objectives. In the year 2000, the UN awarded AASU a certificate of merit in recognition of the Union’s efforts at advancing students’ rights and championing the democratization of education across the African Continent. See: http://www.un.org/press/en/2000/20000410.dev2241.doc.html