South African Schooling: The Enigma of Inequality

This volume brings together many of South Africa's leading scholars of education and covers the full range of South African schooling: from financing and policy reform to in-depth discussions of literacy, numeracy, teacher development and curriculum change. The book moves beyond a historical analysis and provides an inside view of the questions South African scholars are now grappling with: Are there different and preferential equilibria we have not yet thought of or explored, and if so what are they? In practical terms, how does one get to a more equitable distribution of teachers, resources and learning outcomes? While decidedly local, these questions resonate throughout the developing world.South Africa today is the most unequal country in the world. The richest 10% of South Africans lay claim to 65% of national income and 90% of national wealth. This is the largest 90-10 gap in the world, and one that is reflected in the schooling system. Two decades after apartheid it is still the case that the life chances of most South African children are determined not by their ability or the result of hard-work and determination, but instead by the colour of their skin, the province of their birth, and the wealth of their parents. Looking back on almost three decades of democracy in South Africa, it is this stubbornness of inequality and its patterns of persistence that demands explanation, justification and analysis."e;This is a landmark book on basic education in South Africa, an essential volume for those interested in learning outcomes and their inequality in South Africa. The various chapters present conceptually and empirically sophisticated analyses of learning outcomes across divisions of race, class, and place. The book brings together the wealth of decades of research output from top quality researchers to explore what has improved, what has not, and why."e;  Prof Lant Pritchett, Harvard University "e;There is much wisdom in this collection from many of the best education analysts in South Africa. No surprise that they conclude that without a large and sustained expansion in well-trained teachers, early childhood education, and adequate school resources, South Africa will continue to sacrifice its people's future to maintaining the privileges of the few."e;Prof Martin Carnoy, Stanford University "e;Altogether, one can derive from this very valuable volume, if not an exact blueprint for the future, then certainly at least a crucial and evidence-based itinerary for the next few steps."e;Dr Luis Crouch, RTI

This volume brings together many of South Africa’s leading scholars of education and covers the full range of South African schooling: from financing and policy reform to in-depth discussions of literacy, numeracy, teacher development and curriculum change. The book moves beyond a historical analysis and provides an inside view of the questions South African scholars are now grappling with: Are there different and preferential equilibria we have not yet thought of or explored, and if so what are they? In practical terms, how does one get to a more equitable distribution of teachers, resources and learning outcomes? While decidedly local, these questions resonate throughout the developing world.

South Africa today is the most unequal country in the world. The richest 10% of South Africans lay claim to 65% of national income and 90% of national wealth. This is the largest 90-10 gap in the world, and one that is reflected in the schooling system. Two decades after apartheid it is still the case that the life chances of most South African children are determined not by their ability or the result of hard-work and determination, but instead by the colour of their skin, the province of their birth, and the wealth of their parents. Looking back on almost three decades of democracy in South Africa, it is this stubbornness of inequality and its patterns of persistence that demands explanation, justification and analysis.

"This is a landmark book on basic education in South Africa, an essential volume for those interested in learning outcomes and their inequality in South Africa. The various chapters present conceptually and empirically sophisticated analyses of learning outcomes across divisions of race, class, and place. The book brings together the wealth of decades of research output from top quality researchers to explore what has improved, what has not, and why."  

Prof Lant Pritchett, Harvard University

 

“There is much wisdom in this collection from many of the best education analysts in South Africa. No surprise that they conclude that without a large and sustained expansion in well-trained teachers, early childhood education, and adequate school resources, South Africa will continue to sacrifice its people’s future to maintaining the privileges of the few.”

Prof Martin Carnoy, Stanford University

"Altogether, one can derive from this very valuable volume, if not an exact blueprint for the future, then certainly at least a crucial and evidence-based itinerary for the next few steps.”

Dr Luis Crouch, RTI

1. Equity: A Price Too High to Pay?; Nic Spaull.- 2. Educational Outcomes in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Signs of progress Despite Great Inequality; Servaas van der Berg & Martin Gustafsson.- 3. Pursuing Equity Through Policy in the Schooling Sector 2007-2017; Martin Gustafsson.- 4. Educational Funding and Equity in South African Schools; Shireen Motala & David Carel.- 5. Early Childhood Development in South Africa: Inequality and Opportunity; Michaela Ashley- Cooper, Lauren Jayne & Eric Atmore.- 6. Curriculum Reform and Learner Performance: An Obstinate Paradoxin the Quest for Equality; Johan Muller & Ursula Hoadley.- 7. How Language Policy and Practice Sustains Inequality in Education; Nompumelelo Mohohlwane.- 8. Still Falling at the First Hurdle: Examining Early Grade Reading In South Africa; Nic Spaull & Elizabeth Pretorius.- 9. Mathematics Achievement and the Inequality Gap: TIMSS 1995-2015; Vijay Reddy, Andrea Juan, Kathryn Isdale & Samuel Fongwa.- 10. Teachers’ Mathematical Knowledge, Teaching and the Problem of Inequality; Hamsa Venkat.- 11. Learner’s Written Work: An Overview of Quality, Quantity and Focus in South African Primary Schools; Paul Hobden & Sally Hobden.-  12. Gender Inequality in South African Schools: New Complexities; Linda Zuze & Unathi Beku.- 13. Teacher Development and Inequality in Schools: Do we now have a Theory of Change?; Yael Shalem & Francine De Clerq.- 14. Inequalities in Teacher Knowledge in South Africa; Nick Taylor.- 15. Race, Class and Inequality in Education: Black Parents in White-Dominant Schools after Apartheid; Tshepiso Matentjie.- 16. School leadership and Management: Identifying Linkages with Learning and Structural Inequalities; Gabrielle Wills.- 17. How can Learning Inequalities Be Reduced? Lessons Learnt from Experimental Research in South Africa; Stephen Taylor.- 18. Taking Change to Scale: Lessons from the Jika iMfundo Campaign for Overcoming Inequality in Schools; Mary Metcalfe & Al Witten.- 19. Inequality in Education: What is to be Done?; Jonathan Jansen.