Can SA’s basic education be fixed?
Privately funded schools aimed at low-income families might help the country’s dismal educational outcomes
The state of SA’s basic education is a topic of constant debate — by political parties, the media, civil organisations and the general public. Even though basic education has had a positive impact on SA’s post-apartheid development, problems such as dismal educational outcomes and the absence of teachers torment us and, especially, low-income families. These problems aside, some progress has been made in addressing and eradicating the legacy of apartheid in education. Increased access to education has accelerated the growth of the black middle-class so that, for the first time, in 2008, the size of the black middle-class surpassed that of the white. Education has always been a big factor in nations’ development and SA’s prosperity, too, is dependent on the quality of its basic education. Even though SA’s education faces many challenges, it is fair to say that, on balance, the opening up of educational opportunities has had a positive impact on our society. SAs basic education challe...
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