Public vs Private school

“More than half the children now entering school will be expected to work in jobs that don’t exist. Apart from core skills like reading, writing, mathematics and science, students will need skills like critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving to contribute in their future jobs or start-ups. The world is changing faster and faster. Don’t get left behind by clinging to old models of education.” Michael Jordaan, former FNB CEO, entrepreneur. 

As you enrol your child for a new year at school, you should consider the quality of your child’s education. While obtaining a matric certificate may in theory lead to further education, the ‘right’ matric certificate could determine which doors will be opened and which ones not.   

MATRIC BY ANY OTHER NAME

The matric results for government schools who wrote the National Senior Certificate exams are still fresh in our minds. Although the pass rate for 2019 is a record 81,3%, only around half of the kids who enrolled twelve years ago wrote the matric exam. The true pass rate is therefore closer to 40%. More worrying still is that more than 50% of matriculants have Mathematics Literacy as a subject (instead of Mathematics).

In South Africa, matriculants can either write the NSC (National Senior Certificate) exams or the IEB (Independent Examinations Board) exams, dependent on the school attended and the curriculum followed. Both paths will result in receiving the same matric certificate from UMALUSI (The General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Authority).

Students writing the NSC exams follow the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) curriculum which are taught by government schools. Students writing the IEB exams are not obliged to follow the CAPS curriculum and are taught in private schools.

It is important to note that universities make no distinction between a matric certificate obtained by writing the NSC exam or the IEB exam. Although it is viewed that the IEB exam is more difficult, an IEB student will not have any advantage above an NSC student when it comes to placement at a tertiary education institution.

Many parents are concerned that an NSC matric certificate may not be enough to secure a prosperous future for their children and are considering other options. The big question for these parents to consider would be if the cost of private schooling is really worth it.

Understanding the differences between the different models of schools available may help to shed some light on this problem.

GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS

Government schools are funded by the government, sometimes supplemented by governing body funds. Former “model C” schools are more popular, more expensive, better resourced and are very hard to get into. 

Public schools are required to follow the CAPS curriculum. Fees are decided on by the school’s governing body. Top performing government schools charge on average around R35 000 per year.

The Department of Basic Education stated in March 2018 that the national average Learner-Educator-Ratio (LER) in primary schools was one teacher to 35,2 learners. It drops to one teacher to 27,7 learners in secondary schools. 

I NDEPENDENT (PRIVATE) SCHOOLS

Private schools are usually funded by parents, though some of these schools receive some funding from government while others are owned by companies or governing bodies that supplement funding. 

Matriculants in private schools affiliated to the IEB, will write the IEB national senior certificate which is based on the South African National Curriculum. The IEB NSC is an internationally benchmarked qualification and is equivalent to the Cambridge AS level.

Some IEB schools also offer Advanced Programme courses for students gifted in Mathematics, English and Afrikaans (also offered by some government schools).

Private school education focuses more on developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. The assessments are designed to encourage learners to apply their knowledge and to find innovative solutions to problems.

The LER in private schools is heavily dependent on the type of school. In the more expensive private schools, the national average is around 25 children to one teacher.

While many private schools are completely independent, there are schools that can be considered part of a group – either because they follow the same approach, or because they are owned by the same company.

Other ‘independent’ schools and options for education also exist, including Montesorri schools (mostly pre-primary and primary schools), Waldorf schools, International or European schools, home schooling, etc.

While it may seem like a waste of money to pay for a private school education as your child will not have any immediate benefit when applying for tertiary education, one should not under-estimate the value of the core skills taught at independent schools that will be critical for your child to find a job in the future.

Sources:

https://www.education.gov.za/Informationfor/ParentsandGuardians/SchoolFees.aspx

https://m.fin24.com/Opinion/michael-jordaan-forget-matric-results-heres-how-to-prepare-your-kids-for-jobs-that-dont-yet-exist-20200115

https://www.ieb.co.za

https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/259185/class-sizes-in-public-vs-private-schools-in-south-africa/