Public vs. Private Schools
There is a high enrollment each year in South Africa's public schools, but not the same amount of students stay in school throughout the year. The number of students graduating from grade 12 keeps decreasing every year. In fact, of all the students that enroll in first grade, only half make it to twelfth grade. Students who reach twelfth grade and take the matriculation exam do not receive high enough scores to attend higher education. Scores are also not high in the standardized test (ANA Exam) that all students are required to take. This signals that something is wrong with the public education system; it is obvious the problem is not the quantity, it is the quality. The Department of Education is working hard to improve the quality, but it is a long process. It is also difficult to pinpoint one problem of the public education; there are many. Some problems include: lack of parent involvement, poor administration, lack of formal training of teachers, and teacher absenteeism. Some people even continue to blame the current education system on apartheid. The reasoning behind blaming it on apartheid is that the majority of students in public schools are black; while the majority of students in private schools are white. These people think that because the number of students of each race is not equal between the two sectors, that education is unfair. There are many factors that have caused the poor quality of public education in South Africa, so it is unfair to blame only one problem.
Because of all the problems in public education, the preferred type of education for children is private schools. Unfortunately, this option is not available to most students because of the entrance fee. It is even believed that some private schools keep increasing tuition fees so lower class students (which is mainly black students) can not attend these schools. However, this is simply speculation. Most of the private schools are run by churches and other religious organizations. More and more private schools are opening, and a lot of these schools are low-cost private schools. This is helping low-income families send their children to private schools. Most students in private schools pass the matriculation exam, which allows the students to attend higher education. However, the private schools have problems, too. One problem is that many teachers in the private schools are not qualified. This is because people are taking advantage of the fact that parents want to send their children to private schools; they open schools and find teachers that may not be qualified for the position. Another problem is that the low-cost private schools may not have the same resources elite private schools and even public schools have.
Because of all the problems in public education, the preferred type of education for children is private schools. Unfortunately, this option is not available to most students because of the entrance fee. It is even believed that some private schools keep increasing tuition fees so lower class students (which is mainly black students) can not attend these schools. However, this is simply speculation. Most of the private schools are run by churches and other religious organizations. More and more private schools are opening, and a lot of these schools are low-cost private schools. This is helping low-income families send their children to private schools. Most students in private schools pass the matriculation exam, which allows the students to attend higher education. However, the private schools have problems, too. One problem is that many teachers in the private schools are not qualified. This is because people are taking advantage of the fact that parents want to send their children to private schools; they open schools and find teachers that may not be qualified for the position. Another problem is that the low-cost private schools may not have the same resources elite private schools and even public schools have.
This graph is a representation of the drop-out rates per grade.
Sources:
http://www.ai.org.za/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/03/No.-72.The-Failing-Standard-of-Basic-Education-in-South-Africa1.pdfhttp://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=jcSsY0rHcME%3D&tabid=422&mid=1261
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e581e56-482c-11e1-b1b4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2QfGkVWgq
http://www.ai.org.za/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/03/No.-72.The-Failing-Standard-of-Basic-Education-in-South-Africa1.pdfhttp://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=jcSsY0rHcME%3D&tabid=422&mid=1261
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e581e56-482c-11e1-b1b4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2QfGkVWgq