Private Schools Mopping Up

The South African Institute of Race Relations reported that growing number of children in South Africa are going to private schools. The number of public school pupils dropped 15 percent in the North West, 14 percent in the Free State, nine percent in Limpopo and five percent in the Eastern Cape, said institute researcher, Mr Roodt. All provinces except KwaZulu- Natal and the Free State saw increases in the number of children attending independent schools, with the growth topping 10 percent in all except the Western Cape (6 percent).

The institutes's research is corroborated by research by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), released last year, that showed "massive" growth in the low-fee private school sector over the past 15 years. CDE CEO Ann Bernstein said the research indicated "an organic, sociological response to the failure" of SA's school system. There is widespread acknowledgement that SA's public school system is in crisis, with at least one study indicating 80 percent of public schools are "dysfunctional".