Education in South Africa Carole Leonard

Demographics and history 79.3% black, 9.1% white, 2.6% Indian, 9% “coloured” White population divided between British and Dutch descent 52 languages spoken (11 official) English is the language of business and education, but is spoken by only 8.2% as a home language Legacy of apartheid is still strong

HIV/AIDS 5.7 million people infected Over 18% of population aged 15-49 Almost 1/3 of the women aged 25-29 Over 1/4 of the men aged 30-34 In some areas, over 30% of the total population 1.4 million children are AIDS orphans Government support for AIDS-related health issues has been almost non-existent until last year Education is one of the hardest hit employment sectors

Schooling 3 levels of schooling: General education – R (reception) through 9 Further education – 10 through12 Higher education – Technikons, colleges, universities South African Schools Act of 1996: Education compulsory from age 7 – 15, or completion of grade 9 But…

Schooling “Bantu education” under apartheid continues in reality South African Schools Act of 1996 made education compulsory, but no infrastructure in place to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of children previously not attending School fees, requirement of uniforms, kept many children at home

Schooling 72% of Grade 6 learners failed the national literacy test in 2004 88% of Grade 6 learners failed the national mathematics test 60% of 12th graders passed the 2009 matriculation exam that allows them to apply to university, down 3% from last year (only the top students continue into the 12th grade) Mean score on the TIMSS placed South African 8th graders at the bottom of the 50 participating countries

Schooling In private and white schools, the pass rate for the national literacy and math tests is above 80% 4% of children in formerly black schools are reading at grade level 80% of children in primarily white schools read at grade level

Educational Reform Systemic reform initiatives: Curriculum 2005 and Outcomes-Based Education Pro-poor funding: 40% of the poorest schools were declared no-fee schools in 2007, and the govt. provides more financial support to poor schools. Focus on post-9th grade vocational programs But…

Educational Reform Low literacy and math rates inhibit success of vocational programs Reforms are generally confined to schools that are already relatively well-functioning, which is increasing the already huge level of inequality Lack of communication and teacher support has impeded success of systemic reforms

Teacher training Teacher training occurs in teaching colleges (2-years) and at universities, but only for a few Many teachers in poor schools (black – the majority of schools) have no formal training and are not certified Most teacher training comes in the form of government-sponsored professional development workshops

Challenges and opportunities School enrollment has grown from around 30% in 1970 to over 90% in 2009 Many of the learners in schools after the democratic elections of 1994 had never attended school before – some in their late teens The new government under Jacob Zuma has promised to put the resources of the federal government to work to fight AIDS In spite of the obstacles and low achievement, this generation will far exceed the previous one in literacy and numeracy

The future

Note: Photos and film clip by Carole Leonard. References Greyling, A. J. (2009). Reaching for the dream: quality education for all. Educational Studies, 35 (4), pp. 425-435. Jansen, J. and Taylor, N. (2003). Educational change in South Africa 1994- 2003: Case studies in large-scale education reform. Country Studies (Education Reform and Management Publication Series), 2 (1), 1-47. Taylor, N., Fleisch, B., and Schindler, J. (2007). Education Scenarios for 2019. Paper prepared for Key Driving Forces Scenario 2019, Office of the Presidency, South Africa. Retrieved from http://www.jet.org.za/ publications/research/Taylor%20Fleisch%20Shindler_Education%20Scenar ios%20for%202019%2022%20July.pdf U. S. Department of State. (February, 2010). Background note: South Africa. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2898.htm Note: Photos and film clip by Carole Leonard.