The Repercussions of a Faulty System

The Repercussions of a Faulty System

The typical United States classroom consists of a teacher, a diverse selection of students, and the habitual glances at the clock in the back of the room. The students wait impatiently for the school day to end and their futures to begin. As the teacher pulls out an index card with a student’s name written in bold letters, the students that sit in the class know that they have the same possibility as every other student to be called to answer, no matter what race they are, how much money they have, or the current political state of the country. This classroom with equal opportunity is a representation of the education system in the United States. In South Africa, however, students do not get the same equal opportunities.
During the apartheid era, the education system was designed for the advantage of white students over blacks, to the extent that by the end of the 1960’s, the government was spending 16 times more on educating a white child than a black one (Economist). With more money being put towards educating white children, better teachers, schooling facilities, and resources were able to be provided for those children. The blacks, on the other hand, struggled to get the basic education they needed because of a lack of resources necessary for that task. Despite the fact that apartheid ended in 1994, there is still inequality between whites and blacks in the education system of South Africa. Today, if one wants the best education possible they need to have the ability pay the large amount of money that it costs. However, with whites, in general, having much higher income levels, they are the ones that can afford the best education (Commey). With all of the good schools bearing a large price tag, poverty becomes an infinite cycle for people born into a black family since they are not able to pay the price to get the first-rate education they need in order to get a favorable job and higher pay.

Without the primary education blacks need, the inability to get a higher education and, therefore, a job plays a large toll on the economy. The results released by the country’s basic education minister reveal that despite the fact that 78 percent of those who took the exams in 2013 had passed only 31 percent passed with grades good enough to have the option of a university education (Molefe). With blacks, who make up the majority of the population, having inequality acting as a hindrance to obtaining basic primary education, getting into a university in order to get a degree becomes almost impossible. With only 31% of people who took the exams even having an option for a higher education, the rest of the people, the majority, are left with the difficult task of getting a job in extremely competitive circumstances with only a basic education. It does not come as a surprise that one in three South Africans has no job and that South Africa’s economy is suffering as a result (Economist). With such a large number of people jobless, a heavy strain is placed on the economy.

With inequality between blacks and whites in the education system, blacks have a difficult time getting the education they need in order to obtain a job, and its therefore puts tension on the already struggling economy of South Africa. Although South Africa has made progress since apartheid there are still many problems the inhabitants today face in regards to the education system.

Works Cited

Commey, Pusch. "South African education is in serious trouble." New African May 2014: 
22+.Global Issues In Context. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Molefe, T.O. "South Africa's Failing Grade." New York Times 16 Jan. 2014.

Global Issues In Context. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

"No one gets prizes; South Africa's education system." The Economist [US] 16 Jan.

2010: 39EU. Global Issues In Context. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.