School Funding in Post-Apartheid South African Public Schools: Implications for Social Justice and Equity

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: International Education From the Front Lines: Social Justice Within and Across Borders

Abstract

Assessment at the end of the apartheid era highlighted major inequalities between white and black, and urban and rural areas. Twenty-five years into democracy, the South Africa needs to distinguish between initiatives taken by the government to address the apartheid legacy, the actual changes made in education and the results thereof. Using qualitative research, various stakeholders of public schools were interviewed to determine their views of how the funding policy had been implemented and whether equity is being addressed. Although historically disadvantaged schools now receive substantial state funding, these schools are still characterized by low pass rates, low teacher and learner morale, a resurgence of violence amongst learners, ineffective leadership by school managers, poor governance by school governing boards.

Authors

• Raj Mestry, University of Johannesburg

• Prevanand (Labby) Ramrathan, University of KwaZulu-Natal

• Pierre Du Plessis, University Of Johannesburg