As ANC tightens grip on state schools with BELA, private education sector booms
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In South Africa, a failing state has led to a surge in private school enrollment as parents seek alternatives to a crumbling public education system.
South Africa’s education system is both one of the most expensive in terms of government expenditure, as well as one of the worst for outcomes on the continent.
A 2021 international study ranked South Africa last out of 43 countries in reading literacy standards for fourth graders while education spending constituted 14% of the consolidated state expenditure, three times the OECD average.
Widespread challenges, including power cuts, dangerous and broken transport systems, violence and entrenched incompetence, have prompted parents to turn to private schools for better educational outcomes.
Children who fail our extremely low standards are pushed through, teachers are heavily unionised, incompetent, violent and intolerant of skilled colleagues. Gang violence pervades schools. Corruption is rampant.
As a result, increasing proportions of those who can afford it, even in lower income communities, are turning to private schools, where safety and security are possible for their children.
As a consequence, private education companies have taken off.
Curro Holdings Ltd., an independent basic education provider, has seen its shares rise by 23% this year.
Advtech Ltd., a competitor in the private education sector, has experienced a stock rally of 38%, nearing a record high, outperforming the benchmark FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index. Advtech runs 110 school campuses across nine different brands.
Crawford International North Coast College, one of Advtech’s schools, has annual fees for tuition and boarding reaching as high as R279,000.
Stadio Holdings Ltd., the sole tertiary education stock in South Africa, has seen a more modest increase, with shares up by 0.4% this year.
Afrikaans-medium tertiary institute Akademia has also been rapidly expanding, though government requiring special permission from the Minister for starting medical and vetinary campuses have kept them from taking off at the rate required to replace traditional Afrikaans campuses like Stellenbosch or Potchefstroom.
This is likely to accelerate, as the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill heads to passage in our legislature. BELA seeks to remove parents’ rights to oversee the quality of education in fee-paying state schools, and seeks to abolish Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
Despite (or rather, because of) these difficulties, the private education sector is expected to continue growing, providing a vital alternative as the state system falters.
This trend is expected to persist, with private education becoming a necessity for many parents rather than a luxury.
Independent news and opinion from the Cape of Good Hope for readers who value good old common sense. We focus on what really matters in South Africa.
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