Reassessing strategies for financing education in South Africa

Abstract

The paper outlines some alternative education financing strategies for South Africa that need considering given the growth in enrolments at all educational levels, particularly in the face of the continued recession. It is argued that in the long term, while the eradication of apartheid and the creation of a single education ministry undoubtedly will generate resources that currently are being wasted on a multiplicity of education systems and a bloated bureaucracy, the magnitude of the task facing educationists in terms of student numbers suggests that initiatives other than public sector financing may well be required, A review of policy options being formulated for developing countries is provided. However, the development of such strategies for South Africa must involve a careful consideration of equity implications. One way of addressing the issue of educational inequality is to introduce a redistributive strategy, in which the costs of education are redirected toward the wealthier segments of society...