IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

June 16 is Youth Day in South Africa, commemorating the sacrifice paid by the youth who participated in the Soweto uprising in 1976. The day is also recognised as the Day of the African Child on the African continent and celebrated every year. The theme for the year is “To educate an African Child Fit   read more »

2024 commemorates three decades since the inception of democracy in South Africa. Since 1994, South Africa has ushered in notable reforms across multiple sectors, with education being one of the key areas of focus. These reforms aimed to address historical inequalities and improve access to quality education for all citizens. Substantial investments have been made   read more »

South Africa’s two newest universities had their origins back in 2010. That year, the South African Government announced its intention to establish two new institutions of higher learning. In late 2011, the Department of Higher Education and Training, together with the University of Witwatersrand, formed the New Universities Project Management Team. This team was responsible   read more »

After five consecutive years of decline, capital expenditure in the public sector increased by R9,3 billion (4,6%), from R199,8 billion in 2021 to R209,1 billion in 2022. Extra-budgetary accounts and funds, national government, public corporations, provincial government and higher education institutions all recorded increases. However, there was a decline for local government, according to Stats SA’s Capital expenditure   read more »

The Abolishing of Corporal Punishment Act, No. 33 of 1997 banned the use of corporal punishment in schools. Despite the ban, corporal punishment is still used as a form of discipline more than 20 years later. Of those that reported experiencing violence at school, the most common form of violence experienced was corporal punishment by   read more »

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020‒2021 disrupted the operations of higher education institutions, with notable effects on revenue streams. After declining in 2020, the amount of money collected from tuition fees jumped by 21,6% in 2021. Tuition fees are the second biggest source of revenue cash flows South Africa’s 26 higher education institutions depend on three   read more »

Data from 745 institutions provides an update on public-sector investment in infrastructure. A number of institutions pulled back on capital expenditure in 2021, while others increased their spending. Public-sector capital expenditure decreased by R6,1 billion (-3,0%) between 2020 and 2021, from R204,3 billion to R198,2 billion, representing the fifth consecutive year of decline. Capital expenditure represents money spent   read more »

In 2021, close to 3% of 15-year-olds and nearly 9% of 17-year-olds dropped out of school. The General Household Survey, 2021, released by Statistics South Africa, indicates that although most 18- and 19-year-olds were still attending secondary school, almost three out of 10 pupils aged 18 years (29,3%) and 4 out of 9 (46,3%) of   read more »

South African gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 1,9% in the first quarter of 2022, representing a second consecutive quarter of upward growth.1 The size of the economy is now at pre-pandemic levels, with real GDP slightly higher than what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. This release covers the first quarter of the year   read more »

Education is deemed to be a basic human right but, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed not only the way we live, but also the way we learn. First-time learners were destined to experience learning in a very different way than their predecessors. In South Africa, school closures were announced on 18 March 2020, interrupting   read more »