Mission
The mission of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) is to contribute to the development of a transformed, equitable, high quality higher education system capable of responding to the intellectual, ethical and human resources challenges of a democratic society based on social justice principles which operate in a global context.

Vision
The CHE as an independent statutory body strives to be an organisation nationally and internationally recognised for the quality of its intellectual contribution to and its impact on the South African higher education system, its principled positions, its work ethic and its transparent governance processes in the discharge of its core functions of advising the Minister of Education, monitoring the higher education system, assuring and promoting the quality of higher education and contributing to the development of higher education.

Values
The CHE is committed to the values and principles proposed in the White Paper 3 on Higher Education Transformation: equity and redress, quality, democratisation, development, effectiveness and efficiency, academic freedom and institutional autonomy (reference: Education White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education).

In pursuit of its vision and mission, the CHE is committed to and guided by the following values:

• Independence
• Transformation
• Integrity
• Public accountability

At the operational level, the CHE is guided by the principles of generally accepted business practices, including compliance with applicable laws, commitment to organisational integrity, avoidance of conflict of interest, and observance of ethical standards. In addition, the CHE provides for a policy and work environment that encourages intellectual creativity, non-discrimination, diversity, innovation, diligence and responsiveness. The CHE operates in terms of a Code of Conduct which embraces all of these values.