Global Literacy Project, Inc.

Republic of South Africa

After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid – the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule (CIA Factbook).

Illiteracy in South Africa-The Legacy of Apartheid

South Africa has 12.3-million learners, some 386,600 teachers and 26,292 schools, including 1,098 registered independent or private schools. Of all schools, roughly 6,000 are high schools (grade 7 to grade 12) and the rest primary (grade 0 to grade 6). However, there is a huge literacy problem left by 40 years of apartheid education. Under that system, white South African children received a quality schooling virtually for free, while their black counterparts had only “Bantu education.” Education was viewed as a part of the overall apartheid system, which included the “homelands,” urban restrictions, pass laws and job reservation. The role of black Africans was as labourers or servants only.

Illiteracy rates are high at around 24% of adults over 15 years old (6- to 8-million adults are not functionally literate), teachers in township schools are poorly trained, and the matric pass rate remains low. While 65% of whites over 20 years old and 40% of Indians have a high school or higher qualification, this figure is only 14% among blacks and 17% among the coloured population (Source: SouthAfrica.info).

So South Africa is in the midst of an education revolution, especially in its rural areas. Schools are being supported and new ones are being constructed all the time. But these schools lack books; in many there are no school libraries (Empty libraries close the book on reading), not even rudimentary collections for classroom use. And this is the typical story for practically the entire countryside where the Black majority of the population resides.

Finally, it must be noted that there are real problems as students progress through the educational system. According to UN statistics (UNICEF,4th Annual Women’s Parliament Conference Cape Town 2007) children attending school at the primary level go from 96% to 70% at the secondary level, then on to a drastic drop of 7% participation at the college level.

GLP in Gauteng Province (With Fountain Baptist Church, Summit, NJ, USA)

Global Literacy Project Sites (2006-2010)