HARSH REALITY: “SA has one of the world’s worst education systems: Why it is Bottom of the Class,” is the headline in the respected Economist magazine. It went on to say that, “In a league table of education systems drawn up in 2015 by the OECD club of mainly rich countries‚ SA ranks 75th out of 76.”

Consider the following:

• “A shocking 27% of pupils who have attended school for six years cannot read‚ compared with 4% in Tanzania and 19% in Zimbabwe.
• After five years of school, about half cannot work out that 24 divided by three is eight.
• Only 37% of children starting school go on to pass the matriculation exam; just 4% earn a degree.
• Most teachers would struggle to shape up. In one study in 2007 maths teachers of 11- and 12-year-olds sat tests similar to those taken by their class; questions included simple calculations of fractions and ratios. A scandalous 79% of teachers scored below the level expected of the pupils. The average 14-year-old in Singapore and South Korea performs much better.
• Few countries spend as much to so little effect.”

Please read the full article at www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21713858-why-it-bottom-class-south-africa-has-one-worlds-worst-education (close the pop-ups to read).