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spring 2009
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Elusive equity: education and skills in South AfricaBy Chris Sims Of the many ways in which South Africa's Apartheid system sought to repress black South Africans and exclude them from positions of influence, the education system was one of the most pernicious. For decades, white South Africans enjoyed a quality of schooling comparable to that of developed countries at relatively low cost, while the majority of their black compatriots were deliberately and explicitly restricted to the most basic levels of education. The best they could expect was 'Bantu education' – under which provision was severely underfunded and quality correspondingly poor. The founder of the system, H. M. Verwoerd, stated publicly in 1953 that: "the natives will be taught from childhood to realise that equality with Europeans is not for them". Fifteen years ago, Apartheid finally ended. The 'rainbow nation' is now a democracy whose national constitution places dignity and human rights at its centre. South Africans are justifiably proud of this achievement and of the fact that it was achieved peacefully. The legacy of Apartheid, though, lives on: South Africa remains a deeply unequal society, and the historical denial of an education to generations of non-white citizens is a key reason why. The low skills levels left by the Bantu education system meant that, although all South Africans were free to pursue the career of their choice by 1994, the majority were not educationally equipped for more highly skilled, rewarding professions. Since Apartheid had been in place for so long, it also meant that many teachers who had worked in the Bantu education system had low levels of skills and qualifications. After 1994, establishing equity and reversing Apartheid's injustices became the central principles of Government policy, and continue to lie at the heart of its approach to economic development, including education and skills. Spending on education has climbed to more than 5% of public expenditure, and there have been significant improvements in resources and infrastructure, targeted at those schools and regions that were most neglected in former times. While the policy priorities of the South African Government are understandable, and their ambitions rightly high, some have argued that the tremendous hope for the future brought on by the transition to democracy obscured the sheer scale of the challenge ahead: "Inspired by optimistic and idealistic aspirations, a drive was initiated for the early formulation of education policy and legislative enactments that, it was hoped, would give South Africa a modern, high quality and efficient education system. Less attention was paid to the dynamics and time scale involved in the achievement of major educational change and to the on-the-ground circumstances in which the reforms had to take root." Reviews of National Policies for Education: South Africa, OECD 2008 The transition to democracy had other consequences too. Under Apartheid, teaching had been one of the few professional occupations open to non-white South Africans, though with far lower standards of training, salaries and work conditions. This at least ensured that schools in the townships and homelands, though severely under-resourced, had teaching staff available. When South Africans acquired the freedom to live where they chose and to pursue any occupation in 1994, many non-white teachers took advantage of their new opportunities to move out of deprived areas and into new careers. More teachers left the profession in response to the upheaval that resulted from the Government's efforts to overhaul the education system in pursuit of its equity goals. The result was a huge teacher shortage, particularly in rural areas and the most impoverished parts of the cities, that continues to this day, exacerbated by the shattering impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 1997, the Government launched a new curriculum policy, Curriculum 2005. A student-centred model focused on measurable results that drew from approaches in highly developed countries. It was a radical shift from the traditional Apartheid-era top-down, rote learning approach to education. Many teachers – particularly black teachers, who had received insufficient training under Apartheid – were ill-equipped to teach the new curriculum, and many schools lacked even the most basic facilities to do so. Again, the Government's impressive policy statements did not match the reality of most South African schools. South Africa's inequalities persisted after 1994. Despite the country's relative wealth, it continued to under-perform in basic skills: in 2000, a UNESCO/UNICEF project placed South African children bottom among 12 African countries in numeracy, tenth in life skills, and eighth in literacy (Monitoring Learning, UNESCO/UNICEF Education for All, 2000). Continuing gaps in basic skills leave millions of South Africans ill-equipped to get and hold down a job. While the Government's economic plans have focused on filling skills gaps in fields such as engineering and construction, the problems at the lower end of the skills scale are now emerging as a priority for sustained economic growth, as well as equity. South Africa's experience in moving from injustice and oppression to democracy and hope is inspiring, but also instructive. It shows how ambitious goals and ideals can drive tremendous change, but that this needs to start from the reality of a country's situation. Without due attention to teaching and infrastructure capacity, and to the basic skills needed to progress to more advanced forms of learning, educational systems will struggle to meet the needs of those who have been neglected in the past. After 15 years of democracy, South African policy makers will need to keep this in mind as they continue to work to right the wrongs of Apartheid. Did you find the article useful? Vote now |
also in this issue...
back to... "Apartheid left a legacy of poverty-stricken, uneducated and unskilled disadvantaged people." Dr Esther Njiro, Demopeda Research and Training for Change, November 2007. |
