Studies In Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) launched a report about “Realising the right to a basic education in South Africa” on the 4th of November 2015 at the Women’s Gaol, Constitutional Hill Johannesburg. Isobel Frye, Director of SPII, was the chair for the programme and gave an introduction. Shaun Franklin and Daniel McLaren from SPII launched the report to the audience and explained what is the right to a basic education, policy analysis, budget analysis and indicators.
Salim Vally, Director of Centre for Education Rights and Transformation, at the University of Johannesburg said that there are three different motives to get quality education after the struggle in our country. He said that almost 50% of students do not get or complete their diploma or degree because of lack of finance. Vally added that the report covers the impact of poverty in society among educators and public servants. Many children at school do not know how to read and write confidently. He continued by saying poverty undermines education, where most of children live in unhealthy environment.
Tinti Enoch Rabotapi, Acting Chief Director of Education Human Resource Development said that the key areas for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is ‘Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation’. He said that DBE is able to increase variation in the academic stream. Rabotapi added that as the DBE they face lots of challenges in school such as “discipline, bullying and involvement of parents in schools”. SADTU Media Officer Nomusa Cembi said that the organisation acknowledges the report from SPII.
Dorothy Mabelebele is a Community Journalist Activist for Karibu Newspaper at Khanya College. She writes articles about the different struggles that the Black Poor Working Class are facing on a daily basis. The struggles that she writes about is to raise awareness to the communities about issues that are happening around them.
