EDUCATION IN GENERAL

The latest available statistics show that in 2007 South Africa had 14 167 086 pupils enrolled in all sectors of the education system, attending 35 231 educational institutions and served by 452 971 teachers and lecturers.

The breakdown of schools includes 26 065 ordinary schools and 9 166 other education institutions – namely, special schools, early childhood development (ECD) sites, public adult basic education and training (ABET) centres, public further education and training (FET) institutions and public higher education (HE) institutions.

Of the total enrolled pupils, 12 048 821 (85.0%) were in public schools and 352 396 (2.5%) were in independent schools. Of the pupils in other institutions, 761 087 (5.4%) were in public HE institutions, 320 679 (2.3%) were in public FET institutions, 292 734 (2.1%) were in public ABET centres, 289 312 (2.0%) were in ECD centres, and 102 057 (0.7%) were in special schools.

The total of 26 065 ordinary schools comprised 15 358 primary schools, with 6 316 064 pupils and 191 199 teachers; 5 670 secondary schools, with 3 831 937 pupils and 128 183 teachers; and 5 037 combined and intermediate schools, with 2 253 216 pupils and 74 843 teachers.

Other educational facilities included 2 278 ABET centres, 50 public FET institutions, 4 800 ECD centres and 23 HE institutions.

In state-funded public schools, the average ratio of pupils (also known as "learners") to teachers ("educators") is 31.5 to one, while private schools generally have one teacher for every 17.5 scholars.

Youth in South Africa

According to a ministerial report on Post-compulsory and Post-school Provision, 2.8million of the 6.8million 18 to 24 year olds in South Africa are neither in employment, education institutions or workplace training. Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande has said that this figure of 41% of all our youth is attributable to, amongst other things, very limited access into post-school education and training opportunities, poor resources, the lack of financing and the restricted availability of jobs.

In South Africa (statistics taken the National Treasury) :

• About 42 per cent of young people under the age of 30 are unemployed compared with less than 17 per cent of adults over 30.
• Only 1 in 8 working age adults under 25 years of age have a job compared with 40 per cent in most emerging economies.
• Employment of 18 to 24 year olds has fallen by more than 20 per cent (320 000) since December 2008.
• Unemployed young people tend to be less skilled and inexperienced – almost 86 per cent do not have formal further or tertiary education, while two-thirds have never worked.

There are a number of explanations why young people are unemployed, these include:

• Employers look for skills and experience; they regard unskilled, inexperienced jobseekers as a risky investment.
• Education is not a substitute for skills. Schooling is not a reliable signal of capabilities, and low school quality feeds into poor workplace learning capacity.

Given the uncertainty about the potential of school leavers, employers consider entry-level wages to be too high relative to the risk of hiring these inexperienced workers.