Outlier Education

2024-07-25

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Closed book: Three-quarters of schools in South Africa do not have libraries

About 26% of South Africa’s 22,511 schools have libraries, according to data in the Education Facility Management System, published by the Department of Basic Education in July.

Government schools in the Eastern Cape are the worst off, with just 7% of schools having libraries. Only 9% of schools in Limpopo have libraries.

About 69% of schools in the Free State have libraries, the most in the country. Gauteng is the only other province in South Africa where more than two-thirds of the schools have libraries.

In 2013, the department of basic education committed to putting libraries in all government schools by 29 November 2023. The department missed this deadline. In 2024, almost 17,000 schools are still without these facilities.

Of the schools that do have designated library facilities, only 57% (3,312) are actually stocked with books.

All 500+ charts ➙

2024-07-21

R580m

Amount unspent and returned by Department of Higher Education to Treasury

The Department of Higher Education returned R580-million to the National Treasury after failing to spend it in the past two financial years, News24 reported on Monday.

The money could have funded 9,071 students for one academic year, according to its calculations based on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s average funding cost per student in 2024.

🔗 News24

2024-07-08

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School trip: Walking is the only option for two-thirds of SA’s learners

There are about 15.4-million school-going children in South Africa and almost two-thirds of them have to walk to school every day, according Statistics SA’s 2023 General Household Survey.

Walking to school is not necessarily a bad thing but for many learners there are few alternatives. There is little in the way of school buses available to learners and public transport is equally limited for large parts of the country. The many learners who have to walk long distances over difficult terrain also put their safety at risk.

FULL STORY + 3 CHARTS

2024-07-01

9,300

Eastern Cape matrics who have never passed a grade

The Eastern Cape Department of Education says 9,300 Grade 12 learners in the province, mostly from smaller rural schools, have never achieved a passing grade since starting school.

These learners have been beneficiaries of the department’s progression policy, which aims to reduce dropout rates. The policy excludes Grade 12, when learners must meet all requirements for the National Senior Certificate.

‘If you trace these learners, you will find out they are from small, unviable schools,’ Education MEC Fundile Gade was reported as saying. He said that about 1,000 schools would be closed in the province over the next 5 years.

🔗 News24

2024-05-27

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Democracy in South Africa: 30 years in 8 charts

As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy, the legacy of the African National Congress is under scrutiny.

On one hand, nearly half the population receives some form of grant funding, but unemployment rates are alarmingly high and business confidence has waned significantly. These economic challenges cast a dark shadow over the milestone that is 3 decades of democracy, raising concerns about the nation’s future stability.

But, it’s not all doom and gloom: the murder rate has decreased, more learners are completing matric and the country has made impressive progress in combatting HIV, with an estimated 5.86-million people on antiretrovirals.

The following 8 charts provide a glimpse into South Africa’s current state, highlighting both the highs and lows of the past 30 years. They reveal a country that has made significant strides in certain areas while grappling with persistent issues in others.

2024-01-19

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83% matric pass rate, but is SA making the grade?

The class of 2023 recorded the highest matric pass rate since at least 2009. But fewer learners are finishing school and only a third wrote maths.

2024-01-17

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Matric exam data can help uncover the state of education

Outlier Insights is a new project that makes it easy to view and interrogate datasets – such as 13 years of South African matric results.

2023-10-20

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Census 2022: Education in South Africa in 4 charts

No early start for 40% of the country’s young children.

2023-02-02

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No-fee schools are at a real disadvantage when it comes to maths

This year’s matric results show that half of the the grade 12s in no-fee schools failed maths

2022-12-09

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What is South Africa doing in space?

The R4.47-billion Space Infrastructure Hub will see satellites built for earth observation and science missions to supply space weather forecasts, satellite navigation and land-mapping.