SA’s education system, schools in dire state

EVER since the end of apartheid, when the education system was rife with inequalities against the black-majority population, there have been small strides taken by the elected democratic government to improve it.

South Africa’s spending on education accounts for 4.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

According to a 2017 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), South Africa is the highest spender in the world, ahead of Denmark and Iceland, who spent 4.7% and 4.6% of GDP respectively.

Post-apartheid South Africa is still challenged by socio-economic inequalities such as poverty, unemployment, income inequality, life expectancy and land ownership. Colonialism and apartheid have had considerable effects on the population’s literacy rates and education levels.

The OECD study further proved that 15% of adults have not achieved primary education and 51% of 25-34-year-olds lack an upper secondary or higher degree. More than half of the adult population and 16% of children aged 5-14 are still not in school.

Given this stark reality, how do we fight to redress all these inequalities?

One of the ways in which this can be done is through high-quality, sustainable primary and secondary education. This has the ability to shape future generations by helping them reach tertiary level education.

Even though the government is the biggest spender in the world on education, the problem is policy implementation, especially as the education department is fraught with incompetencies. The mismanagement of funds, together with corruption, has left schools in a state beyond repair.

The current state of schools in the country has a huge impact on children’s access to basic services.

The lack of access to toilet or sanitary facilities impacts not only children’s health but prevents them from enjoying recreational activities.

In addition, children are further deprived from utilising playgrounds as very few schools have the infrastructure. It is important for children to have a balance between studying and partaking in recreational activities.

A 2012 study by Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention stated that one in five children had been exposed to some form of violence during the school year.

Schools of our past era were imagined as havens of quaint custom and benign behaviour, in vivid contrast to the perception of today’s drug dens and ridden with violence, as

teachers daily risk their lives. Should this tragedy continue, society will inherit a generation of semi-literate and under-educated pupils who will be unable to compete in a world driven by 21st-century technology.”

While parents have a critical role to play in educating their children, government has an equal part to play in ensuring policies are geared towards addressing the state of education in a far more real and result-oriented way.

If we are to progress as a society, we all have a critical role to play in making sure children have access to education. Failure to do so will not only impact children’s lives, but the future of the country as a whole.

Waseem Bahemia is a student at the Centre for Film & Media Studies at UCT. He is also a social media intern at Voices360 and writes in his personal capacity