Education in some schools alarming

By Odette Ismail
15 October 2006

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) revealed that almost 80% of South African high schools are failing their pupils.

Nick Taylor wrote in the IJR’s 2006 Transformation Audit, titled Money and Morality that this is very bad for South Africa. He says nearly 80% of schools provide education of such poor quality that this hinders social and economic development. This also restricts the majority of poor children from receiving full citizenship.

Taylor says many schools are unable to provide children with attitude ad intellectual skills needed to build a modern state.

The main drive now is to develop strategies to better the poorest performing schools. He also adds that nothing done by government and non-government sectors so far has helped this situation. He says more money can only be spent on improvement programmes.

It was revealed that most children in these failing schools were African.

Taylor, according to the Sunday Argus tested schools by their performance in mathematics. He says schools that are dysfunctional needs outside help and the removal of their principals.