Dear Friend of the IRR,

Last week, the Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga announced the highest matric pass rate in the history of democratic South Africa: 82.9%.

While we congratulate the matrics on their achievements, this pass rate hides the truth about education in South Africa.

A truth for which South African children and taxpayers are paying.

The truth behind education in South Africa

Less than half of children who started school 12 years ago made it to matric. Only a third of pupils who started Grade 10 made it to matric two years later.

And what about the quality of education for those who do manage to stay in school? As the IRR's Makone Maja said: “How is it that 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning including in their own languages? How can we expect to produce competent matriculants on that shaky basis?”

The matric pass rate is a poor indicator of the quality of the South African education system. It is a vanity metric behind which the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Minister Motshekga hide their failures.

Who is paying for this failure?

The South African government spends about the same percentage of GDP on education as most high-income countries. How is it that learners from those countries perform so much better than our learners? How is it that South African learners have to deal with incompetent teachers, broken classrooms, and deadly pit latrines?

South Africa's children, especially those from poor families, are the ones who pay for the DBE's failures with their futures. Education is yet another area of government where South Africans taxpayers watch their money go to waste.

The solution: School vouchers

The IRR recommends that the Minister stop hiding behind vanity statistics and instead read our paper “Overcoming the odds: Why school vouchers would benefit poor South Africans”. Using school vouchers, the Department of Basic Education can give parents the ability to choose a school for their children, incentivising schools to provide high quality education and making the most of taxpayers’ money. Read the full report here.

It is because of your support that we can research, develop, and promote solutions like this. Thank you!

Live Free. Prosper.