South Africa: Number of schools in SA drops - survey

In South African between the years 2000 and 2010 the country lost 1 910 schools. How does this happen? How can a country increase their population by 6 million people during this time and have nearly 2000 schools less? During this same period, Independent school numbers increased by nearly 450 schools. It seems as if people in the country have recognised that government public schooling is a joke - where pupils matriculate dumber than when they started school - and have decided to enroll their kids in Independent schools instead. Not only does South Africa have a growing unemployment problem (at 24% Q4 2011), but they also have an education problem. Can these two be interlinked you ask? Why, yes, yes they can. What the ANC has failed to address - in between vigorously applying Affirmative Action and stealing from the tax money box - is the growing number of uneducated youths who can't gain employment on the backs of their poor quality education - or because they've dropped out because it's too hard to study. As the population grows and as the youth get dumber and dumber, crime will increase causing an even more chaotic society than what is currently the case. This is what Black South Africans wanted - even knowing just how useless their fellow Black Africans are at ruling anything. They want Black rule but they want White money to support them. Pick a finger...

The total number of schools in South Africa dropped between 2000 and 2010, but the number of independent schools increased, according to a survey by the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR).

"In total, there are 1 910 fewer schools of all kinds today than there were in 2000," the SAIRR said on Wednesday.

Its analysis was based on data provided by the department of basic education and the results were released in its annual South African survey two weeks ago.

44% increase in independent schools

"The period between 2000 and 2010 saw a decline of nine percent in the number of public schools, from 26 789 to 24 451," it said.

Only the Northern Cape experienced an increase, of 23%, in the number of public schools over this period.

"Independent schools, on the other hand, increased by more than 44% in the whole country," SAIRR said.

This trend was particularly strong in the Eastern Cape where there was a 295% increase, and Limpopo, with a 135% increase.

Only in the Northern Cape did the number of independent schools decrease.

"The total number of independent schools in South Africa, which stood at 971 in 2000, was 1 399 in 2010."

SAIRR said despite the increase in independent schools, these still accounted for only 5.4% of all South African schools, up from 3.5% in 2000.

Pupil enrolment up

Nationwide, pupil enrolment had increased by three percent since 2000.

"There are, however, significant differences between public and independent schools.

"Enrolment in the former increased by merely 1.4% as compared to an increase of 76% in the latter.

"Obviously, there is a growing trend of parents preferring to send their children to independent schools, but independent schools still represent only a small proportion of South African schools," said researcher Jonathan Snyman.

With about 30 pupils per teacher, the nationwide pupil-teacher ratio in public schools was almost double the ratio in independent schools, which had an average of 16 pupils per teacher, SAIRR said.


Source