UNIT 4.1 Post 1994 Education System PDF

POST 1994 SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLING SYSTEM PEDS102 Link of the main reading: A transitiological study of some South African educational issues Ref for the main reading: de Wet, C & Wolhuter, C. (2009). A transitiological stu...

POST 1994 SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLING SYSTEM PEDS102 Link of the main reading: A transitiological study of some South African educational issues Ref for the main reading: de Wet, C & Wolhuter, C. (2009). A transitiological study of some South African educational issues, South African Journal of Education, Copyright, Vol 29:359-376  RECAP: PRIOR 1994 HF Verwoerd, can be described as the originator of the Bantu Education Act of 1953 A black child received the benefits of "Bantu education that includes: Homelands Urban restrictions Pass laws Job reservation The role of black Africans was as labourers or servants only Statement: There is no place for the African in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour There was no way that a black child could get training with the view of absorption in the European community. Although today's government is working to rectify the imbalances in education, the apartheid legacy remains. o The greatest challenges lie in the poorer, rural provinces. o Schools are generally better resourced in the more affluent provinces.  The ideology of the national democratic revolution The following could be regarded as the core (central philosophy) of this ideology of the national democratic revolution: The establishment of democratic institutions, which could claim to be representative; The accomplishment of a non-racial democratic dispensation; Initiating progressive, sustainable and development-oriented schooling system The use of centralised planning to manage social change and regulate the future development and behaviour of a society. African National Congress (ANC) came into power in 1994. That resulted in the political transformation of SA. This transformation encompassed all areas of society, including education. Transformation in education was then singled out for specific attention. The goal of education and training policy was to: enable a democratic, free, equal, just and peaceful society Prosper in our land, on the basis that all South Africans without exception of others, to share: same rights, equal citizenship, and common national destiny, and Same view about all forms of bias (especially racial, ethnic and gender) as dehumanising. For ANC, education had to play a role to: In the view of ANC rule to achieve that: overcome the devastation of Education had to be transformed and the focal points apartheid, should be: provide a system of education The creation of a single, non-racial education and that builds: provide space for all participants. democracy, Revamp and democratize the entire structure of education management. human dignity, The upgrading and improvement of the education equality and infrastructure. social justice. The transformation of curricula to eradicate the legacy of apartheid in the system. SCHOOLING BEFORE 1994 In the era prior to 1994, black and white learners attended separate schools The segregated Schools had different policies regarding medium of instruction. SCAPPING OF SEGREGATION IN SCHOOLIN AFTER 1994: LANGUAGE Resistance to the language policy regarding black education ended after the 1976 uprisings. That led to the scrapping of both Afrikaans and black home languages as language of instruction was written off in black schools. AFTER THE EMERGENCE OF EQUAL EDUCATION: LANGUAGE AS EDUCATIONAL MATTER: ANC government regards language as an instrument to advance education and political transformation and to establish democracy. The Department of Education (DoE, 2001:29) --- committed to the promotion of multilingualism: Equal status for all eleven official languages. The languages are Pedi, Sesotho, Tswana, Swazi, Venda, Tsonga, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, and Zulu. Zulu is the home language of 23.8% of South Africans, followed by Xhosa with 17.6%, Afrikaans with 13.3%, Pedi with 9.4%, Both English and Tswana with 8.2% (Pretorius, 2006:32). Although English is regarded as the language of commerce, technology, education and training, it is the home language of only 8.2% of South Africans  LANGUAGE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING: After 1994, in the spirit of democracy, official and educational status were granted to eleven languages. The majority of South African learners prefer English rather than their home language as language of instruction for the following reasons: Deep-seated distrust and fear, Home-language education would lead to deprivation, Social and political isolation, Disempowerment, ENROLMENT: Prior 1994, enrolment numbers and levels, in particular the inequalities between white and black, were some of the main points of criticism, as: compulsory education was implemented fully only - white and to a certain degree to the Indian and coloured population groups (Claassen, 1995:472). Democratic SA promoted the right to basic education for everyone. Then: School attendance was made compulsory from age 7 until a child reaches the age of 15. The government is committed to ensure access to education up to Grade 9 for all learners Enrolment numbers between 1995–2004 for: primary education showed a decrease from 95.0% to 87.4%, secondary education showed an increase from 56.0% to 67.2%. Despite the latter positive statistics, the objective of “equal education for all” has still not been achieved in South Africa FUNDING: School Fees: Other priorities include: South African schools are divided into five quintile rankings. National Schools Nutrition Programme: The quintile ranking system is inherited from the former DBE and Higher It feeds large number of school Learning children daily The following five principles were considered: Access: Fees should not hinder learners from attending school; school gardens with the support of the Department of Agriculture. Redress: A need to address the socio-economic imbalance brought about by both previous education and political systems; Early childhood development Equity: Everyone receives an equitable chance to attend school; Quality: That SA learners should receive quality education; HIV-Aids awareness programmes in Efficiency: That the education system should be efficient and be schools responsive to the needs of SA learners The following are the quintile rankings; Adult basic education and training. Quintiles one to three are “no-fee paying schools” Quintiles four to five are “fee-paying schools”  STRUCTURE: TWO DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION Department of Basic Education Department of Higher Education Primary Education Tertiary education up to doctorate level Technical and vocational training Secondary Education Public and private FET colleges - catering for out- of-school youth and adults Early childhood development Centres The sector education and training authorities (SETAS) Adult Basic Education and Training Setting and monitoring standards for general and further education and training  General Educ. and Training Further Educ. and Training Higher Education and Training It runs from grade 0 to grade 9. Under It is also known as tertiary education the South African Schools Takes place from grades 10 to 12. It includes education for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, certificates and diplomas, up to the level of the doctoral degree. Act of 1996, education is compulsory Includes career-oriented A matric endorsement is required for the study for all South Africans from the age of education and training offered in of university degrees, with a minimum of three seven (grade 1) to age 15, or the other institutions:– subjects passed at the higher, rather than completion of grade 9. Technical colleges standard, grade, although some universities set Community colleges Private colleges. additional academic requirements Adult Basic Education and Training Diplomas and certificates are A standard school-leaving South African senior (ABET), which is available to adults qualifications recognised at this certificate is sufficient for technical who want to finish their basic education level. qualifications and diplomas.  INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS Independent schools are private schools that are registered with the Department of Education for offering basic education programmes in terms of the South African Schools Act (SASA), 1996 The Independent schools have their right of establishment well-maintained as illustrated in the Constitution of the republic of South Africa, Section 29(3) which states that: Everyone has a right to establish and maintain independent educational institutions at their own expense, that: Do not discriminate directly or indirectly on the basis of race; Are registered with the state; Maintain good standards REGISTRATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOL TO GRANT REGISTRATION The DoE has the responsibility to evaluate schools for registration. THE DOE CONSIDERS: School registration is granted by the DoE only. Financial stability Registration means the granting of legal authority to offer basic education. Legal operation Registration thus enables an independent school to operate within the law. Health and safety Before a school is registered, it must be assessed whether it has resources, capacity and expertise to offer acceptable standard of education. Qualifications A registered school must maintain its registration by continuing to comply Quality with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations. Any violation of the Act and Regulations will result in deregistered IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO REMEMBER REGARDING PRIVAT SCHOOL REGISTRATION On registration, a private school is issued with a letter and or certificate of registration by the DoE. The certificate / letter must be displayed on the school’s premises / principal’s office The school’s registration number / EMIS number, the phases / grades for which the institution is registered and approved site of delivery / physical address appear on the certificate Before enrolling and whenever in doubt, contact the Department to check if the school is registered Some schools have been registered for a specific period of time. Such schools are issued provisional registration certificates. Find out if the school is one of these. Study and understand the enrolment contract carefully before signing it.  DECENTRALISATION OF POWER Sector Responsibilities Central Government Provides a national framework for school policy Provinces Administrative responsibility School Governing Body Is responsible for the organisational operations of their schools They have a fair amount of autonomy Private Schools & Higher They are expected to fall in line with certain government policies: Education Institutions EG: NO EXCLUSION IN TERMS OF RACE OR RELIGION Umalusi Council Is appointed by the minister of Higher Education Keeps an eye on higher education and training: Council of Higher Education o Accreditation quality assurance.  CHALLENGES The mergers of universities, which were driven by ideological motives, did not succeed The institution of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), another centre-piece of government’s educational transformation plan, failed to work and address everyday realities of South African classrooms due to: Under-qualified teachers, Lack of adequate resources, Absence of a proper culture of teaching and Learning in many schools to the extent that The founder and most voluble exponent of OBE, William Spady (2008), counsels government to abandon the OBE project. While government focuses on grand projects such as the merger of universities and OBE, basic aspects such as input, throughput and output quality are neglected. of the 25,415 public schools in South Africa, ❖ 4,046 Have no electricity, ❖ 2,891 have no source of water, ❖ 17, 081 have no computers 46% of Grade 1 learners eventually reach Grade 12 Since 2003 the matriculation pass rate has been falling each year. ANC government worked hard right from the start to realise the transformation objective. They achieved many successes, although many were plans miscarried. Others had to be redesigned. EG: Eastern Cape, in its summit reflected and identified various problems upon transformation in education that: a shortfall in earners’ skills development, in particular literacy and numerical skills; an unequal distribution of resources and infrastructure; and a poor work ethic among educators. Lack of discipline Many schools are not functioning well, (School principals and management were to be blamed) Chairperson of the Education Portfolio Committee, voiced his concern about: ❖ the lack of support for African languages ❖ culture in former Model C schools (in terms of LOLT and appointment of teachers) ❖ the violence in schools In terms of success: considerable improvement in the qualifications of educators; an improvement in the ratio of educators to learners; and an increase in the per capita spending per learner.