Progress? Yes! But corruption and poor delivery deny learners their rights
Edwin Naidu
Equal Education’s Head of Research, Elizabeth Biney, says Basic Education in 2024 – 30 years after democracy – has made significant progress.
“Primarily in the areas of redress or reform, the racialised apartheid education that we inherited has morphed into a more encompassing or constitutionally sound sector. We have succeeded greatly in expanding access to schooling, especially at the primary level, where there’s near-universal attendance,” she says.
However, because schooling is made compulsory, the second level of education may need improvement. But it is comparable to most other countries, Biney says. “So, we are not doing too badly there either. Regarding redress and access, we are doing quite well; in some areas, we will surpass expectations.
She adds, “But the system and sector struggles and challenges have more to do with quality than numbers or country.”
Biney reckons that in the democratic era, South Africa invested more of its Gross Domestic Product in schooling than most countries with similar wealth levels.
“But the problem is that we have not seen that so-called investment yield returns, so the quality is not reflected in that kind of story, that linear story that if you spend money, you will get better quality or things will improve. And this is because there are inherent challenges. So the assumption is that there are hiccups from apartheid that we are struggling to undo or overcome, and then there are emerging issues or challenges,” says Biney.
She says the challenges mainly concern leadership and politics, so infrastructure is a significant component that requires focus.
“But the issue is that there are still inequalities within the system; even though we have the one education system, it is also technically still a dual-system approach because of the disparities”.
She says there is now a unified system on paper, but it is two. One was given to a sector catering to the privileged and the affluent.
“Then there is a system for predominantly majority black, marginalised, under-resourced, and so because of the inherent inequalities, we are struggling,” she says.
“We see that even when there’s progress in outcomes, it has a specific feature. It is almost always of a particular class, colour setting, political, or geographical place. Then, provinces, rural learners, and rural school communities are disadvantaged.
“Purely because the design has changed, we are making progress, but there is still a problem at the systemic or foundational level, and we are struggling.
“We are seemingly unable to connect it, so you will see this inequality reflected in learning outcomes and completion rates.”
Biney says this can be seen by the quality of the qualifications learners obtain. “Even if you get the kind of learners who get your so-called bachelor passes to pursue higher education, those challenges persist.
“An example of inequality is dealing with it through an infrastructure lens. You see that there is no teacher, all your problematic things, your pit toilets, your water, your crumbling school buildings, there are all these other challenges which are predominantly in certain places, and those places cater for black children mostly. The system is under-resourced”.
Biney says when these problems are highlighted, the government is seen as not treating them with the urgency they deserve.
“It is a very laissez-faire approach. When we talk about funding, the country spends so much on education, but even that money is insufficient because of the many challenges and main issues we must address. Every problem in the sector essentially becomes a money problem because it takes money to solve most of the issues,” she says.
She says one must consider spending practices and financial misconduct in the primary education sector, which compounded or added to the problem because the little money spent was used “badly.”
“We are losing much money earmarked for education to corruption and irregular and wasteful practices. And that essentially denies learners their right to that quality education we promise them in the Constitution,” Biney adds.
She says while some blame it on a system, it is also political. Both cannot be addressed in isolation.
“We are also mindful, or we know we are not oblivious to, the kind of interventions we ask the government to do. It is intense, but it is doable. If we have the right political will and disposition to make a concerted effort, we are going to do this, and we are going to do it right. And we can win the war,” she says.
Biney says South Africa is great on policies, but it’s Achilles Heel remains delivery, with an alarming lack of oversight and consequences when things go wrong.
“The winners or losers of this story are the learners because they are caught in the middle and pay the price. Every government failure is a punishment or harm to the learners because either their rights are being denied, or they have to work or overcompensate to close a gap caused by the lack of service delivery,” she says.
Biney says real systemic challenges must be explained, but reform takes time and investment in energy and resources. “But for that to work, we need to acknowledge it, agree, be intentional about it, and work towards it.”
Biney says the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, cannot be immune from blame for not doing enough.
“She has been in office since 2009, the longest-serving education head in the country; we must ask whether there has been progress in the sector until now. Is it considerable and sufficient, given her time in that leadership position and the mandate she was given when that position was created? For instance, it’s important to highlight the successes and failures of our democracy and its promises,” she concludes.
INSIDE EDUCATION