Minister of higher education and training Naledi Pandor will be conferred with a PhD in education at the University of Pretoria on Tuesday afternoon.

Pandor said she was referred to the institution (UP) by several friends.

"The decision to study again was nerve-wracking but I knew I had to try. I was nervous and slightly embarrassed to be an older student but once I started, I did not want to stop. There were several really bright young students and they seemed so confident and relaxed. I sometimes felt I could not catch up to their confidence levels but I wanted to do this so [much]," she said.

Pandor said she chose UP because several of her friends told her that the education faculty at UP was a really good team with a powerful postgraduate programme.