How to Fix South Africa's Schools
Title | How to Fix South Africa's Schools PDF eBook |
Author | Jonathan D. Jansen |
Publisher | Bookstorm |
Pages | 0 |
Release | 2014 |
Genre | Education |
ISBN | 9781920434625 |
South Africa has an education crisis, despite the fact that the government spends the biggest slice of its budget on education, more than any other African country. And yet the crisis persists. Jansen and Blank looked at South African schools that work, in spite of adverse conditions -- schools in poor communities, schools with overcrowded classrooms, schools in both rural and urban environments -- and have drawn out the practical strategies that make them successful. 19 short films (included on DVD or available for streaming or download in digital editions) let you visit these schools and understand in the words of their principals, teachers and learners what makes them succeed. Then take look at the 10 key strategies identified and see how to implement them in other schools to effect transformation. As we have come to expect from Jansen, there are no complicated theories, not difficult to implement solutions -- just lots of common sense
The Toxic Mix
Title | The Toxic Mix PDF eBook |
Author | Graeme Bloch |
Publisher | |
Pages | 0 |
Release | 2009 |
Genre | Education |
ISBN | 9780624047452 |
"Shocking findings show that South African learners are consistently underachieving, counting not only amongst the worst in the world, but often amongst the worst in Africa. Education policy expert Graeme Bloch states that 60-80% of our schools are dysfunctional. They produce barely literate and numerate learners and Bloch believes the country is headed for a national education crisis. He identifies the toxic mix of factors that are causing this crisis, taking government and teachers to task for not performing as they should and highlighting the socio-economic challenges that many learners face. But Bloch doesn't leave it at that - he offers solutions to turn the situation around. He gives anecdotal evidence of several schools and individual teachers who are getting it right, leaving the reader with hope for the future. This book will speak to parents, teachers and anyone concerned about the future of the country. It is a powerful call to action"--Publisher's website.
Struggling to Make the Grade: A Review of the Causes and Consequences of the Weak Outcomes of South Africa’s Education System
Title | Struggling to Make the Grade: A Review of the Causes and Consequences of the Weak Outcomes of South Africa’s Education System PDF eBook |
Author | Mr.Montfort Mlachila |
Publisher | International Monetary Fund |
Pages | 61 |
Release | 2019-03-01 |
Genre | Business & Economics |
ISBN | 1498301851 |
While South Africa has made significant improvements in basic and tertiary education enrollment, the country still suffers from significant challenges in the quality of educational achievement by almost any international metric. The paper finds that money is clearly not the main issue since the South Africa’s education budget is comparable to OECD countries as a percent of GDP and exceeds that of most peer sub-Saharan African countries in per capita terms. The main explanatory factors are complex and multifaceted, and are associated with insufficient subject knowledge of some teachers, history, race, language, geographic location, and socio-economic status. Low educational achievement contributes to low productivity growth, and high levels of poverty, unemployment, and inequality. Drawing on the literature, the paper sketches some policy considerations to guide the debate on what works and what does not.
Challenges and Issues facing the Education System in South Africa
Title | Challenges and Issues facing the Education System in South Africa PDF eBook |
Author | Legotlo, Marekwa Wilfred |
Publisher | Africa Institute of South Africa |
Pages | 290 |
Release | 2014-05-05 |
Genre | Education |
ISBN | 079830460X |
The quality of education is pivotal for the production of human capital and this cannot be compromised by failing to refocus on the quality of education offered in schools. The inputs in the system such as trained and motivated teachers, buildings and classrooms including sanitation, clean water, instructional material such as textbooks, as well as strong leadership with vision to steer the winds of change are important in providing the desired outcomes. The chapters in this volume are broadly divided into three subsections as follows: learner related issues, (farm and rural schools, poverty and schooling, school violence, and students rights); teacher related issues,(teacher morale and motivation, teachers for all schools, management needs of school principals); and administrative/policy related issues (inclusive education, and school community relations). The social demand for better schools, effective principals, qualified and committed teachers and better opportunities for all place a huge challenge to provinces and the state to protect the rights of all citizens. This volume sets out the challenges facing the education system in South Africa, such as poor school infrastructure, poor learning conditions, and a lack of learning materials and provides recommendations on how some of these can be overcome.
How to Fix (unf*ck) a Country
Title | How to Fix (unf*ck) a Country PDF eBook |
Author | Roy Havemann |
Publisher | Jonathan Ball Publishers |
Pages | 226 |
Release | 2024-04-02 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 1776193423 |
After state capture, South Africa is f*cked not in a good place. The system is down. How do we reboot? Our is not the first country to find itself in a difficult spot. China, India, South Korea, Vietnam and many others have gone from being economic basket cases to powerhouses, lifting millions out of poverty. So how can we pick ourselves up and fix things? In this book, Roy Havemann argues that right now we need to focus on six basic 'E's: Eskom, Education, Environment, Exports, Equality, and Ethics. Havemann lays out how we can practically bring in lessons from other countries and learn from their achievements and mistakes, for example, how China, Greece and Colombia solved load-shedding, how different South American countries are dealing with inequality and how Brazil and Kenya are upgrading their education systems. He shows that we are slowly moving in the right direction. Our own 'Operation Vulindlela' delivery unit, which is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the Treasury, is implementing change where it's needed but more can be done to accelerate reforms to make South Africa a success. Sometimes the solutions to our problems are right here in our very own country – all that is needed is for us to recognise and harness them.
Action Research in South African Education
Title | Action Research in South African Education PDF eBook |
Author | TM Makoelle |
Publisher | AFRICAN SUN MeDIA |
Pages | 153 |
Release | 2019-11-15 |
Genre | Reference |
ISBN | 1928480330 |
In an increasingly complex and challenging profession, the need for teachers, administrators and school systems to become involved in professional development activities is ever present. Action Research in South African Education: A Critical Praxis is a culmination of varying reflective accounts Professor Makoelle made as a teacher, an academic and a devoted action researcher. The book delves into his beliefs, attitudes and conceptions about the evolving discourse of Action Research in education and how it could be operationalised in varying educative contexts. The conversation fosters openness toward new ideas and learning new innovations, as well as giving teachers ownership of effective practices. It ultimately provides teachers with the necessary skills, knowledge, and focus to engage in meaningful inquiry about their professional practice.
Decolonising Schools in South Africa
Title | Decolonising Schools in South Africa PDF eBook |
Author | Pam Christie |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 241 |
Release | 2020-06-07 |
Genre | Fiction |
ISBN | 1000075931 |
This book explores the challenge of dismantling colonial schooling and how entangled power relations of the past have lingered in post-apartheid South Africa. It examines the ‘on the ground’ history of colonialism from the vantage point of a small town in the Karoo region, showing how patterns of possession and dispossession have played out in the municipality and schools. Using the strong political and ontological critique of decoloniality theories, the book demonstrates the ways in which government interventions over many years have allowed colonial relations and the construction of racialised differences to linger in new forms, including unequal access to schooling. Written in an accessible style, the book considers how the dream of decolonial schooling might be realised, from the vantage point of research on the margins. This Karoo region also offers an interesting case study as the site where the world’s largest radio telescope was recently located and highlights the contrasting logics of international ‘big science’ and local development needs. This book will be of interest to academics and scholars in the education field as well as to social geographers, sociologists, human geographers, historians and policy makers. Chapters 1 and 10 of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.