There are various interventions one could consider to address inequality in society but the real change has to occur within the education sector.
With these words Prof Servaas van der Berg, lead researcher at ReSEP and incumbent of the National Research Chair in the Economics of Social Policy at Stellenbosch University (SU) opened the second conference on 'Quantitative Applications in Education Research' at STIAS on Monday, 19 September.
The conference was organised by ReSEP, a research group on Social Economic Policy situated within the Department of Economics at SU and co-hosted by the Programme to Support Pro-poor Policy Development (PSPPD).
Prof Van der Berg painted a quick picture of the education system in South Africa:
"Of all the learners who start school, roughly 60% reach matric, 37% pass matric, 4,5% earn some kind of university qualification and 3% earn a degree."
He went on to explain that research shows a person with a degree will earn at least six times more than a person who left school in Grade 9.
"This inequality drives our economic system," he added. "That is why this conference is so important – not only for education but also for the broader society."
For a second year in a row the Minister of Basic Education Ms Angie Motshekga travelled to Stellenbosch to address the conference.
"It's good to see that the focus will be on some of the most pressing matters the basic education sector is grappling with, for example the supply of teachers and quality of teacher education as well early grade reading and numeracy interventions."
Motshekga acknowledged the valuable work done by ReSEP and the contributions made by a growing network of people focusing on understanding the challenges faced by the education sector in South Africa and participating in research and debate around these issues with the purpose of offering practical solutions.
She mentioned some of the basic education sector's achievements, including progress in terms of access to education, attainment of matric and the number of learners attending Grade R but also referred to challenges such as limited access to schools for learners in rural areas and the number of young people not completing Grade 9.
Some of the focus areas she identified were: Career guidance in schools, teacher capacity, quality of national teacher education programmes, school leadership and early grade reading strategies.
"We are also revisiting the national assessment systems," Motshekga added.
"Although the number of youth obtaining a National Senior Certificate has improved we need to ensure that learners are adequately prepared for higher education. We will press ahead to ensure that the basic education sector is able to position learners to take advantage of further education opportunities."
She emphasised the important work done by researchers: "We have seen increasing evidence of research being informed by policy questions and policy being informed by research. This conference is a critical example of knowledge in action and I look forward to further insights as you continue to play your part in improving education."
Photo credit: Anton Jordaan
