South Africa has 12.3-million learners, some 386
600 teachers and 26 292 schools, including 1 098 registered independent or private
schools. Of all schools, roughly 6 000 are high schools (grade 7 to grade 12)
and the rest primary (grade 0 to grade 6). In government-funded public schools,
the average ratio of scholars (known as "learners" in terms of the
country's outcomes-based education system) to teachers ("educators")
is 32.6 to one, while private schools generally have one teacher for every 17.5
scholars. The national Department of Education is
responsible for education across the country as a whole, while each of the nine
provinces has its own education department. The central government
provides a national framework for school policy, but administrative responsibility
lies with the provinces.
The national Department of Education is also responsible for higher education.
Private schools and higher education institutions have a fair amount of autonomy,
but are expected to fall in line with certain government non-negotiables - no
child may be excluded from a school on grounds of his or her race or religion,
for example.
South Africa's National Qualifications Framework
(NQF) recognises three broad bands of education:
- General Education and Training,
- Further Education and Training,
- and Higher Education and Training.
School life spans 13 years or grades, from grade 0, otherwise known as grade
R or "reception year", through
to grade 12 or "matric" - the year of
matriculation.
General Education and Training runs from grade 0 to grade 9. Under the South
African Schools Act of 1996, education is compulsory for all South Africans
from age 7 (grade 1) to age 15, or the completion of grade 9. General Education
and Training also includes Adult Basic Education and Training.
Further Education and Training takes place from grades 10 to 12, and also includes
career-oriented education and training offered in other Further Education and
Training institutions - technical colleges, community colleges and private colleges.
Diplomas and certificates are qualifications recognised at this level.
The South African Qualifications Framework (SAQF)
was established in 1995 with the enactment of the South
African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
Act. The framework attempts to rectify the past
fragmented and segregated education and training system by adopting a single
and integrated qualification system. The general concept of building a coherent
and integrated system with more equitable access and improved levels of outcomes
is seen as part of the process of reconciliation and rebuilding after the apartheid
era.
Compared with most other countries, education in South Africa gets a really
big slice of the pie - usually around 20% of total government expenditure. In
the 2006 Budget education received R92.1-billion, amounting to 17.8% of total
spending. However, there is still much ground to be made up in repairing the
damage of 40 years of apartheid education. Under that system, White South African
children received high quality schooling virtually for free, while their
Black counterparts had only "Bantu education".
Although private colleges and universities are a more recent phenomenon, South
Africa has had private primary and secondary schools for centuries. There are
around 1 098 registered private schools, catering for some 340 000 students
- 2.8% of the total schooling population. Many private schools chart a path
of excellence, adopting cutting-edge trends, or offering solid, religious-based
education since their origins as mission schools. There are many also outstanding
state-aided schools, on a par with some of the top private institutions. Top-quality
schools and universities are to be found in both the state and the private education
sector.
Although subsidised by the state, the universities are autonomous, reporting
to their own councils rather than government. Higher Education and Training,
or tertiary education, includes education for undergraduate and postgraduate
degrees, certificates and diplomas, up to the level of the doctoral degree.
A matric endorsement is required for the study
of university degrees, with a minimum of three subjects passed at the higher,
rather than standard, grade, although some universities set additional academic
requirements. A standard school-leaving South African
senior certificate is sufficient for technical qualifications and diplomas.
If you obtained a degree outside South Africa you can request recognition of
the degree from the South
African Qualifications Authority .
South Africa has a vibrant higher education sector, with more than a million
students enrolled in the country's 24 state-funded tertiary institutions: 11
universities, five universities of technology, and six comprehensive institutions.
Johannesburg has a well-developed higher education system of both private and
public universities. Johannesburg is served by the public universities University
of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg.
University of Johannesburg was formed on 1 January 2005 when three separate
universities and campuses — Rand Afrikaans University,
Technikon Witwatersrand, and the Johannesburg campuses
of Vista University — were merged. The new
university offers education primarily in English and Afrikaans, although courses
may be taken in any of South Africa's official languages. The University of
the Witwatersrand is one of the leading universities in South Africa, and is
famous as a centre of resistance to apartheid, earning it the nickname "Moscow
on the Hill." Private universities include Monash
University, which has one of its eight worldwide campuses in Johannesburg
(six of the other campuses are in Australia, while the eighth is in Malaysia).
Monash University was named after the prominent Australian general Sir
John Monash and took its first students in 1961. Many of the buildings
in Monash University are also named after prominent Australians in various fields.
Midrand Graduate Institute is located in Midrand.
Below is a listing of universities in and around Johannesburg:
Midrand Graduate Institute
Monash
University
Stellenbosch University
Situated in the wine-growing region of Stellenbosch, 60km from Cape Town, Stellenbosch
University is one of South Africa's leading research institutions. The university's
Centre for Invasion Biology, a Department
of Science and Technology centre of excellence, studies the impact of
invasive plant species on southern Africa's agriculture, biodiversity and ecotourism.
Tshwane University of Technology
Incorporating the former Northern Gauteng, North West
and Pretoria technikons, the university offers over 180 programmes, some
of these unique to the institution, such as sport and exercise technology, equine
studies, medical orthotics and prosthetics, and environmental management.
University of Johannesburg
Incorporating the former Rand Afrikaans University, Technikon Witwatersrand
and Vista University (Johannesburg campuses), the university offers both technical
and academic programmes for around 45 000 students.
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, commonly known as Wits
University, is one of the country's leading research institutions. A
cosmopolitan campus close to the Johannesburg city centre, Wits University attracts
a large number of students from across Africa. The university offers degrees
in the faculties of engineering and the built environment,
humanities, health sciences, science and commerce. Wits University also hosts
the Department of Science and Technology's Centre of Excellence
in Strong Materials, the Wits Institute for Social
and Economic Research, and the Wits Business School.
Vaal University of Technology
Vaal University has around 15 000 students spread across its main campus in
Vanderbijlpark, 60km south-west of Johannesburg,
and four satellite campuses, which include the Sebokeng
campus of the former Vista University.
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