A Fast Facts report released by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) reveals vastly improving levels of access to education but it also uncovers significant dropout rates at both school and university level.

This report reviewed South Africa’s educational foundations. It found:

The proportion of South Africans aged 20 and above with no schooling declined from 11.6 per cent in 2002 to 5.5 per cent in 2013.

The proportion of those with matric increased from 29.8 per cent to 38.8 per cent

The proportion with post-school education almost doubled from 3.7 per cent to 6.9 per cent.

However, such progress must be weighed against significant dropout rates, says IRR CEO Frans Cronjé “The IRR was the first to point out some six or seven years ago that only half of children who enrol in grade 1 will ever have the experience of sitting in a matric class.

“Of those fortunate enough to make it to matric, only half will write mathematics as a subject. Also, only one in four matric pupils will pass maths with 50 per cent or higher.”

Cronjé adds “The same dropout pattern then applies to students enrolled in higher education.”

The findings are initially positive:

 The proportion of people aged between 20 and 24 enrolled in higher education has increased from 15.4 per cent in 2002 to 19.2 per cent in 2012.

 The head-count enrolment in universities has almost doubled since 1995.

 The proportion of African students also increased from 50.2 per cent in 1995 to 69.5 per cent in 2012.

However, data we publish in this edition shows that 51 per cent of students who enrol for 3- and 4-year degrees never graduate.

According to Cronjé “Put plainly, if ten children enrol in grade 1 in any given year, one can expect five of them to reach matric, three to pass, and at most, only one to pass maths with 50 per cent. There is no better way to explain the damage that the current school system causes to the life prospects of South Africa’s children and the reason why education policy reform is vitally needed.”