Better Together: overcoming the effects of history on education in South Africa

Western Cape Game Changer Series Part 2

Penelope Tainton
Aug 24, 2017 · 6 min read

In Part One of the Western Cape Game Changer Series (How to transform the way government works), I outlined the motivation behind the Western Cape’s Game Changers, and in particular the three projects that impact the education environment: Apprenticeship, After School Programmes and eLearning. Game Changers are bold interventions that focus on either leveraging the best opportunities or tackling some of our greatest challenges in the Province. By their nature, Game Changers have ambitious targets, aimed at accelerating economic growth, job creation and social inclusion.

In order to appreciate the need for these particular Game Changers to drive change in the education system, it is important that I provide some basic context on the South African education sector, and the legacy that we still work to overcome today.

Understanding local context

From 1948, when the National Party came to power, to the dawning of our new democracy in 1994, South Africa was run under an official, government-sponsored policy of separate development based on race classification. This system, apartheid, was supported by a comprehensive raft of legislation that enforced separate identities and separate lives. The legislation disenfranchised and severely disadvantaged people of colour, and in particular black African people. It extended government control over all aspects of individual lives in our society, from where one could live to whom one could marry, from what queue one could join at the supermarket to what employment opportunities could be accessed. The issue of job reservation for certain racial categories informed policy decisions around education. The National Party’s Minster of Native Affairs at the time, Dr. Hendrik F. Verwoerd, often referred to as the “Architect of Apartheid”, explained the government’s new education policy to the South African Parliament:

This new policy was given expression in the Bantu Education Act, which was passed by parliament in 1953, and condemned generations of black South African children to substandard teaching and learning.

How do we level the playing field?

While South Africa has moved beyond these dark days, the legacy of policies implemented during this time continues to impact negatively. The children of these so-called “lost generations” are now parents themselves, and the inequalities of their past continue to haunt their own children. Ill-equipped and unable to move into professions that would allow them to support their families financially, grappling with the daily struggles of poverty, hunger, wide-spread societal issues of violence and criminality, and major psycho-social problems, they are often unable to provide the necessary academic support to their children to ensure success. This is exacerbated by the continuing legacy of schools in areas which were historically allocated to people of colour through the Group Areas Act, and which were usually poorly-resourced.

Of course, South Africa does now have a nationally approved system through which schools are classified according to their available resources, and this classification system does guide the allocation of government funding to schools. But the funding provided is woefully inadequate to level the playing fields. As a result, the high level of inequality in education today remains largely unaddressed.

As our post-apartheid communities become increasingly integrated and movement around cities becomes easier, people in poorer communities are choosing to send their children to schools in areas that have traditionally served better-resourced families. This has resulted in many fee-paying schools accepting learners who do not pay fees, which has had a consequential impact on the financial status of these schools. Nevertheless, generally speaking, these schools continue to be better resourced than schools in previously disadvantaged areas. That is to say, as a result of previous policies, they usually have bigger grounds which include sports fields, brick and mortar buildings, libraries, furniture and equipment. They also often remain able to employ additional teaching staff, and so the quality of teaching and learning tends to be much better than that provided by schools in previously disadvantaged areas.

So, while there are major changes occurring in our education sector, and while the demographics at schools are changing, there remains a great disparity of resources between previously advantaged and previously disadvantaged schools. We simply have not managed to level the playing field. The Game Changers therefore operate in a very complex environment, and it is crucial that we are able to track the impact of the education-linked projects in the myriad different types of schools so that future interventions are well-informed.

During her State of the Province Address in February 2017, the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille made the following statement:

“Last year I dedicated this government’s second term to the young people of this Province.

And I made it clear that our overriding goal is the economic inclusion of all. Mastering skills, getting a job, earning a salary, and climbing a career ladder through hard work and life-long learning is the only recipe for sustainable economic liberation for all. Putting our young people on this path must be our number one objective in South Africa. It certainly is in this Province.”

The three Education-focused Game Changers constitute a sincere attempt to close the opportunity gap for our young people.

Each seeks to improve the level of teaching and learning in different spheres — in Apprenticeship to lift mathematics performance to provide access to vocational careers; in eLearning to leverage the power of technology and digital content, change classroom practice and provide the skills needed in today’s work environment; in After School to support whole child development and expose children to sport, arts, culture and life skills that will help them grow.

Each seeks to provide better opportunities and to close the vast chasm between those who have historically had access and those who have been denied so much.

Each seeks ways to redress the lasting impact of past policies which were based on the view that, for millions of this country’s young people, “it is of no avail for him to receive training which has its aim in the absorption of the European Community, where he cannot be absorbed”. Every child deserves the best possible education. Every child deserves to be provided with skills that will give him the best possible chance to succeed.

Through these Game Changers, real and rapid delivery will give young people opportunities and heal some of the past injustices, address the lasting inequalities and open up pathways out of poverty and hopelessness. In this Province, we believe that we are Better Together, and we drive that message through our strategic priorities and focus as we build a healthier society.


This is the second post in a series sharing the Western Cape’s forward-thinking approach to delivering on its ambitious Game Changer strategic goals. In the next post, we will dive deeper into the role of data in delivering on these goals.

Insights

The official Edurio blog. Our team sharing insights into data, feedback and innovation in education - as well as our latest company news and product updates.

)

Penelope Tainton

Written by

Lead of eLearning and After School Game Changers, Office of the Premier, Delivery Support Unit, Western Cape Government. Improving lives, reducing inequalities.

Insights

Insights

The official Edurio blog. Our team sharing insights into data, feedback and innovation in education - as well as our latest company news and product updates.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade