Education in South Africa
[3] According to The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency as of 2019, 95% of the population aged from 15 and over can read and write in South Africa were respectively literate.
Many affluent schools provide financial assistance to a small number of learners (for example, if the parents are alumni), but it is not a legal requirement.
Throughout the nineteenth century, Dutch farmers resisted government policies aimed at the spread of the English language and British values, and many educated their children at home or in the churches.
Enrolments in these republics increased after the government of the Union agreed to the use of Afrikaans in the schools and to allow Afrikaner parents greater control over primary and secondary education.
African children attended mission schools, for the most part, and were taught by clergy or by lay teachers, sometimes with government assistance.
In 1852 the independent South African Republic and in 1854 the Orange Free State established their own institutions of higher learning in Dutch.
The government established Grey College—later the University of the Orange Free State—in Bloemfontein in 1855 and placed it under the supervision of the Dutch Reformed Church.
The government initially refused to fund schools adopting this program, but Jan C. Smuts, the Transvaal leader who later became Prime Minister, was strongly committed to reconciliation between Afrikaners and English speakers; he favoured local control over many aspects of education.
This changed after the Eiselen Commission recommended establishing a separate education system for blacks under the Ministry of Native Affairs.
Although CNE advanced principles of racial inferiority, it promoted teaching of cultural diversity and enforced mother-tongue instruction in the first years of primary school.
This decree was unpopular with learners and teachers alike, particularly in towns like the Johannesburg township of Soweto, where practically no one spoke Afrikaans.
Tensions over language in education erupted into violence on 16 June 1976, when students took to the streets in Soweto and eventually in other towns and cities in the country.
It also set about reforming the educational system by first removing all racially offensive and outdated content and then introducing continuous assessment into schools.
"[39] ICTs can be defined as a shorthand for the computers, software, networks, satellite links, and related systems that allow people to access, analyze, create, exchange, and use data, information, and knowledge in ways that were almost imaginable.
[40] As with many countries throughout the world, South Africa has worked to include information and communication technology (ICT) within the education system.
[45] The next phase of ICT adoption, between 2001 and 2005, saw a focus on creating more access for learners, including “basic connectivity, wired schools and educator development.”[45]:847 Computer use for students expanded, while staff were introduced to email and the internet.
However, while students began using their mobile phones for educational purposes, institutions lagged behind and did not generally implement learning opportunities via mobile-based teaching.
Web conferencing via programs like Skype and learning management systems like Edmodo also gained popularity in South African education.
[45] In the 2010s decade, a few other ICTs were introduced including MELFA (Mobile E-Learning for Africa), the Dr. Maths initiative, Yoza, and M-Thuto.
One of the biggest barriers to ICT usage in South Africa, at least prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the lack of a solid infrastructure and internet access throughout the entire country.
A final barrier faced by schools that is worth mentioning is the same as stated in the paragraph above – lack of a solid infrastructure and internet access.
[44] Rwanda provides another example of an African government placing ICT in the forefront of policy creation towards transforming their Education and consequently their economy.
[44] There is still enormous work to be done in Africa’s education system to ensure that all countries uniformly meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is to “Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.”[40]:23 The COVID-19 pandemic caused the shutdown of businesses and institutions across the globe affecting daily activities including the teaching and learning process in schools.
[49] Measures put into place such as lockdowns and social distancing tried to limit the spread of the COVID-19 disease while use of innovation and technology were implemented to continue learning while navigating unknown territory.
[49] Teachers faced challenges moving their classroom content to the online environment in a short period of time, especially in rural areas.
Mpungose[50] suggested the importance of emotional connections in the teaching and learning environment as a way to promote successful learning by sharing stories, discussion of case studies, use of critical reflection, and incorporating engaging activities in the online environment such as break out rooms for small group discussion.
Mhlanga and Moloi[51] suggest the COVID-19 pandemic was a motivating factor towards digital transformation in South Africa that should have already been in process.
In the post-pandemic era, there is an increasing global call to adopt information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning.
An independent study by Stellenbosch University researchers found that undue union influence and "critical educational factors", including weak institutional functionality, uneducated teachers and insufficient learning time, were responsible for poor academic performance in South Africa.
The locally dismal performance was ascribed to uncommitted teachers, proximity of schools to taverns, inactive governing bodies and the apartheid legacy.
