Poor Quality of Education (Post-Apartheid)
{ Overview of Education in South Africa }
People and Society, Poverty and Environment
The education system of South Africa has undergone several changes ever since the end of Apartheid, with more policies being introduced to better educate the next generation. However, in reality the quality of education continues to be largely shaped by the legacy of apartheid and that the current education system is failing the majority of South African’s youths. We will be delving further into the causes of a poor quality of education and its implications.
One transformation of the post-apartheid education system is equity. It is important in creating a conducive environment for learning and teaching. In the mid-1990s, the government intended to equalize funding among socio- economic groups, schools and provinces. The redistribution of human, physical and resource input would help achieve equity. (Motala, 2004).
Policies such as the South African Schools Act, National Education Policy Act and Employment of Educators Act have been introduced. These policies will be furthered developed in the Evaluation section.
Another change is making education structurally accessible to those that had limited access to education or those who were previously denied. In 1995, 88% of the population aged 9 to 23 had at least an education up to grade 7. In 2003, this figure increased to 93%. Moreover, 75% of the population completed the compulsory schooling phase by attaining grade 9. This later increased to 82% in 2003. The average school life expectancy is estimated to be 13 years. In 2011, it is estimated that literacy rate across the total population is 93%.
Racial differences have in overall reduced substantially due to racial integration. However there are still considerable variations of the quality of the education in black schools and those of white schools. (Heaton, Amoateng & Dufur, n.d.; Odhav, 2009)
With 7% of gross domestic product and 20% of total state expenditure spent on education, it is no wonder that South Africa has one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the world. (SouthAfrica.info, 2013).
Based on Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011) survey of the reading literacy of South African Grade 4 and 5 learners, it is clear that more spending does not guarantee high quality of education. Survey findings show that:
The National Planning Commission found that teachers in black schools teach an average of only 3.5 hours a day, in contrast to 6.5 hours a day for former white schools. (Iolnews, 2012).
One transformation of the post-apartheid education system is equity. It is important in creating a conducive environment for learning and teaching. In the mid-1990s, the government intended to equalize funding among socio- economic groups, schools and provinces. The redistribution of human, physical and resource input would help achieve equity. (Motala, 2004).
Policies such as the South African Schools Act, National Education Policy Act and Employment of Educators Act have been introduced. These policies will be furthered developed in the Evaluation section.
Another change is making education structurally accessible to those that had limited access to education or those who were previously denied. In 1995, 88% of the population aged 9 to 23 had at least an education up to grade 7. In 2003, this figure increased to 93%. Moreover, 75% of the population completed the compulsory schooling phase by attaining grade 9. This later increased to 82% in 2003. The average school life expectancy is estimated to be 13 years. In 2011, it is estimated that literacy rate across the total population is 93%.
Racial differences have in overall reduced substantially due to racial integration. However there are still considerable variations of the quality of the education in black schools and those of white schools. (Heaton, Amoateng & Dufur, n.d.; Odhav, 2009)
With 7% of gross domestic product and 20% of total state expenditure spent on education, it is no wonder that South Africa has one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the world. (SouthAfrica.info, 2013).
Based on Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011) survey of the reading literacy of South African Grade 4 and 5 learners, it is clear that more spending does not guarantee high quality of education. Survey findings show that:
- 43% of South African Grade 5 learners lack the basic reading skills needed for reading standards of an equivalent international grade 4 level.
- 29% of grade 4 learners do not have the required fundamental reading skills to read at an equivalent international grade 2 level.
- Rural learners tend to be two or two and a half years behind urban learners.
- 59% of African schools do not have libraries. This percentage is the second highest internationally after Morocco.
- The internationally highest percentage of 55% of Grade 4 learners suffer from persistent bullying in primary school
- Less learners at the top end of the scale achieving the highest benchmarks. However more learners at the bottom end of the scale is reaching the bottom benchmark. (Tsunke, 2012).
The National Planning Commission found that teachers in black schools teach an average of only 3.5 hours a day, in contrast to 6.5 hours a day for former white schools. (Iolnews, 2012).