Status of Education in South Africa
All South Africans have the right to basic education, including basic adult education and education beyond that. According to the Bill of Rights of the Country’s Constitution, the state has an obligation through reasonable measures to progressively make this education available and accessible. From the research I found that South Africa actually has one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the entire world. I read that about 7% of GDP and 20% of the total state expenditure, the government spends more on education then on any other sector, which was great to hear about. School life spans 13 years, from grade 0, also known as grade R or “reception year”, through to grade 12 or “matric”, the year of matriculation. General Education and Training runs from grade 0 to grade 9. Under the South African Schools Act of 1996, education is mandatory for all South Africans from the age of seven (1st grade) to age 15, or the completion of 9th grade. Further Education and Training takes place from grades 10 to 12, which also includes oriented education and training offered in other Further Education and Training institutions; technical colleges, community colleges and private colleges, where certificates and diplomas are qualifications recognized at this level. Research I found on the statistics of education in South Africa was that the matric pass rate, which was as low as 40% in late 1990’s, has improved greatly. A total of 511,152 candidates sat the matriculation exams in 2012, 73.9% of which passed. This was an increase of 13.3% since 2009 (60.6%). Taking this into consideration I have found that this information meets one of the three priorities of the Global Educations First Initiative, and that is Priority 1. Priority 1 talks about advancing students in school to higher education, these statistics prove that Priority is in the works with improving South Africa’s Status of Education. Priority 2 basically is all about the teaching resources one has because that is truly the foundation to our future educators. From research I found from ‘UNICEF’ many children experience a broken journey through school; this could be from irregular attendance, absent teachers, teenage pregnancy and school-related abuse and violence. Around 27% of public schools do not have running water, 78% are without libraries and 78% do not have computers. There is limited provision for preschool and special education in South Africa. The findings revealed that the quality of teaching is poor, leading to low performance. This is where Priority 2 kicks in, “many students around the world are banking their futures on poorly trained, weakly motivated teachers..” (globaleducationfirst)
Resources:
“Education in South Africa.” Southafrica.info. 28, February 2013. Retrieved on Nov. 2 2014 http://www.southafrica.info/about/education/education.htm#.VFkWi1Z6fFI
http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/education_344.html
http://www.usaid.gov/south-africa/education
http://batongablog.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/improving-quality-of-schools-throughout-africa/
All South Africans have the right to basic education, including basic adult education and education beyond that. According to the Bill of Rights of the Country’s Constitution, the state has an obligation through reasonable measures to progressively make this education available and accessible. From the research I found that South Africa actually has one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the entire world. I read that about 7% of GDP and 20% of the total state expenditure, the government spends more on education then on any other sector, which was great to hear about. School life spans 13 years, from grade 0, also known as grade R or “reception year”, through to grade 12 or “matric”, the year of matriculation. General Education and Training runs from grade 0 to grade 9. Under the South African Schools Act of 1996, education is mandatory for all South Africans from the age of seven (1st grade) to age 15, or the completion of 9th grade. Further Education and Training takes place from grades 10 to 12, which also includes oriented education and training offered in other Further Education and Training institutions; technical colleges, community colleges and private colleges, where certificates and diplomas are qualifications recognized at this level. Research I found on the statistics of education in South Africa was that the matric pass rate, which was as low as 40% in late 1990’s, has improved greatly. A total of 511,152 candidates sat the matriculation exams in 2012, 73.9% of which passed. This was an increase of 13.3% since 2009 (60.6%). Taking this into consideration I have found that this information meets one of the three priorities of the Global Educations First Initiative, and that is Priority 1. Priority 1 talks about advancing students in school to higher education, these statistics prove that Priority is in the works with improving South Africa’s Status of Education. Priority 2 basically is all about the teaching resources one has because that is truly the foundation to our future educators. From research I found from ‘UNICEF’ many children experience a broken journey through school; this could be from irregular attendance, absent teachers, teenage pregnancy and school-related abuse and violence. Around 27% of public schools do not have running water, 78% are without libraries and 78% do not have computers. There is limited provision for preschool and special education in South Africa. The findings revealed that the quality of teaching is poor, leading to low performance. This is where Priority 2 kicks in, “many students around the world are banking their futures on poorly trained, weakly motivated teachers..” (globaleducationfirst)
Resources:
“Education in South Africa.” Southafrica.info. 28, February 2013. Retrieved on Nov. 2 2014 http://www.southafrica.info/about/education/education.htm#.VFkWi1Z6fFI
http://www.unicef.org/southafrica/education_344.html
http://www.usaid.gov/south-africa/education
http://batongablog.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/improving-quality-of-schools-throughout-africa/
Picture depicts: USAID focuses on improving the effectiveness of teachers and school management to provide for higher quality education for students.
1. Record:
Oil Production: 437,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 33
Oil Consumption: 590,900 bbl/day (2011 est)
Country comparison to the world: 29
2. Summarize: Write a short paragraph explaining the information you discovered and conclusions you can draw. How does this information help you develop a sense of place for the country -- living conditions, social development, use of land or other resources, etc.?
From the information I have discovered I have learned that South Africa has limited proved reserves of oil and natural gas and uses its large coal deposits to meet most of its energy needs. South Africa has the world's ninth largest amount of recoverable coal reserves and holds 95% of Africa's total coal reserves. The global financial crisis reduced commodity prices and world demands, GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009 but has recovered since then. This information helps me develop a sense of place for the country because I can see where unemployment and poverty lie in this country. Unemployment, poverty and inequality remains a challenge in South Africa and is among the highest in the world. Official unemployment is at 25% of the work force and runs signifigantly highr among the black youth. South Africa's economic policy focuses on inflation although the country has had significant budget defecits that restrict its ability to deal with pressing economic problems.
3. Contemplate:
What questions does the information raise in your mind. Write down two questions you have based on what you have discovered.
1) How can the unemployment rate in South Africa be fixed by the oil produced & consumed in the country?
2) Would consumers cutting their largest natural resources help the country out economically or would things still remain the same?
Oil Production: 437,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 33
Oil Consumption: 590,900 bbl/day (2011 est)
Country comparison to the world: 29
2. Summarize: Write a short paragraph explaining the information you discovered and conclusions you can draw. How does this information help you develop a sense of place for the country -- living conditions, social development, use of land or other resources, etc.?
From the information I have discovered I have learned that South Africa has limited proved reserves of oil and natural gas and uses its large coal deposits to meet most of its energy needs. South Africa has the world's ninth largest amount of recoverable coal reserves and holds 95% of Africa's total coal reserves. The global financial crisis reduced commodity prices and world demands, GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009 but has recovered since then. This information helps me develop a sense of place for the country because I can see where unemployment and poverty lie in this country. Unemployment, poverty and inequality remains a challenge in South Africa and is among the highest in the world. Official unemployment is at 25% of the work force and runs signifigantly highr among the black youth. South Africa's economic policy focuses on inflation although the country has had significant budget defecits that restrict its ability to deal with pressing economic problems.
3. Contemplate:
What questions does the information raise in your mind. Write down two questions you have based on what you have discovered.
1) How can the unemployment rate in South Africa be fixed by the oil produced & consumed in the country?
2) Would consumers cutting their largest natural resources help the country out economically or would things still remain the same?
From the research that I have done I have learned that South Africa is a middle income emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources. South Africa has well developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors and a stock exchange that is the 16th largest in the world. The current government faces growing pressure from special interest groups to use state owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas and to increase job growth. With South Africa's economy being mainly built on natural resources, the economic ground has been changing over the years. The things that will be produced with South Africa's resources include things like diamonds, copper, salt, platinum, natural gas, limestone and plenty more from natural resources. The things that will be produced from agriculture include things like fruits, potatoes, vegetables, sugar cane, barely, cotton, peanuts and many other things. The goods in Souther Africa are mainly produced through agriculture and mining. Primary production in South Africa only accounts for 14% with service sectors at 53% of the GDP. The goods from South Africa will be exported to countries like Japan, The US, China, India and Germany. The goods of things that get exported to these countries include gold, diamonds, platinum, and other metals and minerals and machinery and equipment.
1. Poverty Rates:
5. Resources: Electricity Use
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/5/8/28587477/1356656.png?250)
2. Labor Distribution:
Sources:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
http://205.254.135.7/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=SF
https://www.jyu.fi/viesti/verkkotuotanto/kp/sa/env_resources.shtml
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
http://205.254.135.7/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=SF
https://www.jyu.fi/viesti/verkkotuotanto/kp/sa/env_resources.shtml