Poor education in SA keeps it from economy of the future, World Bank head says
Jim Yong Kim says in order to address the human capital crisis, SA needs to build a digital economy for inclusive growth
A terrible education system and high levels of stunted growth of children are some of the reasons SA is not ready to compete in the economy of the future, according to World Bank president Jim Yong Kim. Kim said the country’s levels of stunting among children was more than 27%, according to the bank’s October human capital index. Stunting is defined as the proportion of children under the age of five years whose height and weight for their age are below the average standards, with the World Health Organisation attributing it to malnutrition in early childhood, including during foetal development. Speaking at a public lecture in Johannesburg on Monday night, Kim warned that the country faced a human capital crisis. SA was ranked 126 out of 157 countries in the capital index report, which measured the amount of human capital a child born today can expect to attain by the age of 18 years. The report also conveys the expected productivity of the next generation of workers, among others....
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