‘School Dropout. What’s the Catch?’ Our new publication
While almost every child starts school in South Africa, over 40% won’t ever get to even write matric, let alone pass it. With so much attention paid to the matric pass rate each year, this major failure of our education system has long been hidden from view – despite the fact that an under-educated population […]
Tracking learners through school is our best bet against school dropout
All eyes are on those who concluded their matric finals last week, while far too little attention will be paid to the alarming number of learners who left school before Grade 12. In fact, adequate tracking of dropout at school level does not exist in South Africa. To ensure more children reach matric, we need […]
The true cost of our failing education system
Despite significant investment in South Africa’s education system[1], far too many children cannot read or write and struggle with basic numeracy. Not only is this robbing our learners of their potential, but it’s also hurting our economy, too, with a new report revealing that grade repetition costs us R20-billion a year. South Africa’s education system […]
Hands-on Learning Issue 14
Through our Hands-on Learning publication, we hope to play a helpful role in synthesising information from innovators and implementers in civil society, supporting them to share what they have learned so that others are able to draw from and build on their experiences. In this issue: Dynamic networks are amplifier strategies that enable social innovators […]
Steps to address South Africa’s dropout crisis
The majority of learners who start Grade 1 will not complete their schooling. The South African education system is failing our children because a lack of educational qualifications puts them at a disadvantage in the labour market, increasing the prospect of a life mired in unemployment, and in so doing, perpetuating cycles of poverty and […]
Connecting with learners to keep them in school
For many learners, school can feel like a losing battle. We see this in the country’s low matric throughput rates – with only 40% of learners who start school going on to pass matric 12 years later[1]. Merle Mansfield of the Zero School Dropout Initiative asks what can be done now to give our learners […]
What it’s really like to be at school in South Africa
As a country, we have committed to greater access to education for all children. The importance of early childhood education (the first five years of a child’s life) to improve children’s capacity to learn and thrive is now firmly on the national agenda. Even the significance of prenatal care is making inroads in our attempt […]
Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout – Interview Series #3
Today we feature the last of our interviews with our partners working with us in the Zero School Dropout Initiative. In previous weeks we talked to Bottom-Up, Khula Development Group, Community Action Partnership and SAILI. These interviews can be read here and here. We end off the series by talking to Tabisa Bata of Masibumbane Development Organisation and Zeni […]
Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout – Interview Series #2
Last month we introduced the Zero School Dropout Initiative and featured the first two of our trailblazers. Today we continue our series by hearing from two more of our partners, Ilze Olivier of Community Action Partnership and Jennie Rist of SAILI. Ilze Olivier – Community Action Partnership What motivates you to work in this space? There is personal […]
Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout – Interview Series #1
Last week we introduced the Zero School Dropout Initiative and explored the magnitude of the issue. We continue our series by hearing from two of our six partners. First up is Ashley Visagie of Bottomup and Daleen Labuschagne of the Khula Development Group. Ashley Visagie – Bottomup What motivates you to work in this space? Half our […]