2. South Africa occupies the southernmost part of the
African continent, stretching latitudinally from 22° to
35° S and longitudinally from 17° to 33° E.
Its surface area is 1 219 090 km2. The country has
common boundaries with Namibia, Botswana and
Zimbabwe, while Mozambique and Swaziland lie to
the north-east. Completely enclosed by South
African territory in the south-east is the mountain
kingdom of Lesotho.
To the west, south and east, South Africa borders on
the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Isolated, some 1 920
km south-east of Cape Town in the Atlantic, lie the
Prince Edward and Marion islands, annexed by South
Africa in 1947.
3. South Africa: Basic Data
• Official Country Name:
• Region :
• Population :
• Language (s) :
• Literacy Rate :
• Number of Primary Schools :
• Compulsory Schooling :
• Public Expenditure on
• Education :
• Foreign Students in National
Universities :
Republic of South Africa
Africa
43,421,021
Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi,
Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana,
Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
81.8 %
20, 863
9 years
7.9 %
12, 625
5. HISTORY BACKGROUND:
Pre-colonial
• Many African societies placed a strong
emphasis on traditional forms of education
well before the arrival of the Europeans.
• In traditional African Societies the education
of children in close-nit family and tribal
groups was the vehicle through which the
transfer of military, agricultural and survival
skills as well as social, cultural and religious
values took place. Children were prepared
for life by participating actively in cultural and
working life of the tribe. They were taught the
skills of farming , fishing , hunting, weaving ,
pottery, smith, and carving while working side
by side with their parents and other members
of the tribe. Recreational activities consisted
of dancing , wrestling, mock fighting( such as
stick- fighting still practiced by black youths
today), drumming and acrobatic display.
10. • In Southern Africa, in common with many
other parts of Africa, the education of the
young culminated in initiation ceremonies
when boys and girls reach puberty. These
ceremonies were among the most
important rituals in the cultural life of the
tribe . In some tribes, boys underwent the
initiation ceremonies individually, but in
most cases they participated in groups.
11.
12. The boys daub their
bodies with white
sandstone
They wrap themselves in a
reed skirt and a reed cone
headdress with a fringe-like
mask. They perform ritual
dances.
13. Characteristics of traditional African
Education
• Education is given
everywhere
• Education is given at
any time
• Education is given by
all members in the
community
• Education is closely
linked to the
environment
• Parents play an
important part in the
education of their
children
• Knowledge is
transmitted orally
14. Historic developments such as
colonialism led to the erosion of
many of these traditional
principles. Colonialism
undermined the value of of
indigenous knowledge and
customs.
15. • The early colonial period
• Portuguese seafarers, who pioneered the sea
route to India in the late 15th century, were regular
visitors to the South African coast during the early
1500s. Other Europeans followed from the late
16th century.
• In seventeeth century, earliest European schools
South Africa were established in the Cape Colony
committed to biblical instruction which was
necessary for church confirmation. In rural areas
, itinerant teachers taught basic and math skills.
British mission schools proliferated.
16. Jan van Riebeeck (21
April 1619 – 18 January
1677) of the Dutch East
India
Company, VOC, was a
Dutch colonial
administrator and the
founder of Cape Town.
He was the 1st
Commander of the Cape
Colony (Kaapkolonie)
from 1652 until 1662.
17. • Afrikaners resisted government policies
aimed at the spread of the English
language and British values and many
educated their children at home.
• Following the British victory in the South
African war , the new representative of the
Crown, brought thousands of teacher from
Britain, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand to instill the English language and
British cultural values.
18. • Provincial Autonomy in education was strengthened and all provincial
governments used government funds primarily to educate whites.
• EDUCATION UNDER APARTHEID (Apartheid Government)
• The Bantu Education Act (no.47) of 1953 widened the gaps
in the educational opportunities for different racial groups.
Two of the architect of Bantu Education, Dr. W.M. Eiselen
and Dr. Dr. Hedrick F. Verwoerd, had studied in Germany and
had adopted many elements of National Socialist (Nazi)
philosophy. The concept of Racial “purity” in particular
provided a rationalization for keeping black education inferior.
Verwoerd said that „black Africans should be educated for
their opportunities in life and that there was no place for them
above the level of certain forms of labour. The government
also tightened its control over religious high schools by
eliminating almost all financial aid, forcing many churches to
sell their schools to the government or close them entirely.
l
19. • Black schools had inferior facilities, teachers, and
textbooks.
• Black education was not supposed to drain government
resources away from white education.
• Education was compulsory for all racial groups but at
different ages and the law was enforced differently.
• The discrepancies in education among racial groups
were glaring: pupil ratios in primary schools average
1:18 in white schools, 1;24 in Asian schools and 1:39 in
black schools.
• 96% of teachers in white schools had teaching
certificates, only 15% of teachers in black schools were
certified.
20.
21.
22. REORGANIZING/RESTRUCTURING
EDUCATION
President Frederick W. De
Klerk
• Reorganizing education
• Stressed the need for a
non-racial school
system, with enough
flexibility to allow
communities to preserved
their religious and cultural
values.
• Eliminate apartheid
education.
• Formulate a policy
framework for restructuring
education.
23. NELSON MANDELA
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
• South African
politician who served
as President of South
Africa from 1994 to
1999, the first ever to
be elected in a fully
representative
democratic election
24. The Educational System
of SOUTH AFRICA
ACADEMIC YEAR : January- December
PRIMARY SCHOOL: Reception to Grade 6
SECONDARY SCHOOL: Junior
Secondary, Grades 7-9; Further Education and
Training (10-12)
HIGHER EDUCATION
• Certificates and Diplomas (generally 1-2
years of study)
•Bachelors‟ Degrees ( from 3yrs to 6 yrs of
study, depending on the course)
•Honor‟s Degrees ( further years of
undergraduate study, requiring a thesis)
•Master‟s Degree ( 2 year of post graduate
study)
25. SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Schooling is compulsory through grade 9, but
under the National qualifications Framework
(NQF) students may opt at the successful
completion of grade 9 to obtain their General
Education and training Certificate and to pursue
employment or technical training at Further
Education and Training (FET) institutions.
• Those continuing into senior secondary schools
for grade 10-12 sit the nationally set and
moderated matriculation examinations, or an
approved alternative such as the Independent
Examinations Board (IEB) test series, to obtain the
national Senior Certificate (NSC) at the end of
grade 12.
26. HIGHER EDUCATION
• South Africa‟s higher education system
consists of 23 publicly funded
universities, consolidated since 1994 down
from 36 separate institutions. Some of these
are considered comprehensive and others
are universities of technology.
• The Higher education Act of 1997, stipulates
that all higher education institutions come
under the authority of the national
government , while the FET colleges report
to the provincial government.
