Poverty and Education in South Africa

Fred Arthur Fish
Intern at UNIC Pretoria, South Africa


Parents send their children to school to get an education with the hope that this will be a way for them to build a future that is fruitful. Of course, as in any society, parents believe education is the key to a better life. African society is one in which poverty is perpetuated by the inability of many people to access formal education.

The link between poverty and lack of education is very evident in African society and it is detrimental to the continent’s ability to develop. Most countries on the continent have constantly preached free education for all, but those who have been able to deliver on this promise do not always deliver a world class academic excellence. The result of years of political and economic turmoil in Africa echo and manifest themselves through poverty and a lack of education.

This is where the gap between the public school system and the private school system proves to be vast. For many families, finances dictate educational possibilities, leaving those who cannot afford private education to settle for public education. For most children growing up in rural Africa means growing up without decent education. A study conducted in South Africa recently has revealed that a student coming from a public school education moving into a higher learning institution is unable to read or write in a proper academic format. It further revealed that educators at private schools are more devoted to their work as they know they will get paid for it. Their salaries come from the school fees paid by the parents. Hence private education is expensive and believed to be of a better quality, whereas public school teachers are paid by government and will get paid regardless of their commitment, often leaving the children to fend for themselves. Research has revealed that 13 percent of children in developing countries have never attended school. This rate is 32 percent among girls in sub-Saharan Africa and 27 percent of boys. Primary school enrolment in African countries is the lowest in the world. Limited funds and lack of adequate teachers, classrooms and learning material adversely affect the educational environment throughout Africa. Improving the quality of education is particularly critical to ensure that the learning needs of the disadvantaged are met, and for providing pathways for families and communities out of poverty.

We must salute the organisations that have undertaken the task to fight against poverty and illiteracy. UNICEF works in 158 countries, encouraging and challenging governments and communities to promote education. Most African states are hard at work changing the future, educating societies. We still have a long way to go, but to this day education will remain a child’s greatest chance to escape poverty. There is a definite interrelationship between better education, better health and the alleviation of poverty. Each one of these elements has an impact on the other, and without adequate measures being taken to improve education in Africa, we may see a rise of mortality, crime, illness and the continued fall of economic growth. ■