OECD Economics Department Working Papers
Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.
The views expressed in these papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries.
- ISSN: 18151973 (online)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/18151973
Improving Education Quality in South Africa
South Africa has achieved remarkable progress in educational attainment relative to other emerging
countries, but the quality of basic education for a large fraction of the Black African population is still very
low. This study identifies several hurdles to the upgrading of basic education quality, such as the lack of
investment in school infrastructure and learning materials in disadvantaged areas, uneven administrative
capacity at the local level, low teacher quality and poor teaching of English among Black Africans. Bold
action is recommended to empower schools with more physical resources, more competent school
leadership and an accountable teacher workforce. Skill mismatches of supply and demand on the labour
market may be further addressed by vocational education reforms and an alleviation of credit constraints at
the tertiary level.
Keywords: return to schooling, test score, school leadership, teacher accountability, education, teacher, education quality, skills mismatch
JEL:
I28: Health, Education, and Welfare / Education and Research Institutions / Education: Government Policy;
I20: Health, Education, and Welfare / Education and Research Institutions / Education and Research Institutions: General;
I25: Health, Education, and Welfare / Education and Research Institutions / Education and Economic Development;
I24: Health, Education, and Welfare / Education and Research Institutions / Education and Inequality;
J24: Labor and Demographic Economics / Demand and Supply of Labor / Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
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