South African youth in poor and rural communities have faced serious challenges, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has worsened their situation. The odds are stacked against them as they try to obtain an education, and eventually a career. Many students struggle to complete their studies amidst the pressure of the pandemic, and concerns over career possibilities weigh heavily on their shoulders.
The need for this research is to highlight the challenges faced by youth within the education system. It is also to explore the failings of the South African government and its education sector.
A brief overview of the current and historical literature was conducted. Relevant literature was reviewed and critically analysed.
Eight major themes emerged from the literature surveyed. These included access to education, difficulties faced by girls, racism, infrastructure problems in poor and rural schools, child-headed households, education during COVID-19, food security and the absence of career guidance in low-income schools.
In light of South Africa’s difficult history, and the fact that it is 27 years after the fall of apartheid, the state of South Africa’s education system is not conducive to education and promoting career development in young people. More attention needs to be given to education in poorer communities, and government needs to be held accountable.
In 2018, South Africa was regarded as the world’s most unequal country (Beaubien,
Very importantly, we need to remember that South Africa is not a poor country. South Africa holds vast mineral and other resources, and is a highly taxed country. The problem lies in the squandering of resources through corruption and inefficiency. The Zondo Commission is currently attempting to uncover some of the widespread looting and misuse of funds (Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture,
This article explores the inequality in education and obstacles faced by youth in their career aspirations, within the context of the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which heightened the prevailing inequalities and further marginalised the poor. Children in rural and other low-socioeconomic communities face much hardship in accessing quality education and developing their career plans. The guiding (explorative) research question is as follows: How is the youth in South Africa impacted by the inequality in the education system in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and their career plans?
I conducted a brief review of the literature. Data were gathered using an internet search that included keywords such as education, inequality, South Africa, career development. Data were collected and analysed until data saturation was reached (Booth,
Several major themes emerged from the literature and were found to have significantly impacted career development of young people, especially those from disadvantaged communities. These included access to education, the plight of girls in school, racism, infrastructure problems in poor and rural schools, child-headed households as a result of the long-standing human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic, education during COVID-19, food security, and the absence of school-based career guidance in low-income communities. Each of these themes is discussed in the context of career development as it affects South Africa’s poor and marginalised communities.
The apartheid government differentiated citizens by race and, whilst white children attended some of the best schools in the country, black African children faced severe difficulties accessing quality education. Unfortunately, this discrepancy is still present after the fall of apartheid. This exacerbates the cycle of poverty in these communities (Spaull,
Children living in rural and low-income communities are forced to walk miles to school, spending a large amount of time walking along dangerous terrain and some even crossing swollen rivers. In his research in the Mpumalanga province, Mboweni (
The reality is children in low-income and rural communities cannot afford to access high-quality education, even if education is considered ‘free’ for some. There are other costs, including, uniforms, books, transport and so on. These are significant, especially when more than one child attends school, and are amongst the reasons why almost 50% of learners drop out before grade 12 (Weybright,
Like in some parts of the world where the education of girls is not prioritised, girls in poorer communities in South Africa face a battle for the opportunity to attend school. Many girls tend to miss almost 60 days of school per year because they cannot afford the sanitary products they need during their menstrual cycle (Khumalo,
As a result of girls’ menstruation-related absenteeism, they are likely to fall behind in their schooling and not progress as well, or on the same timeline, as their peers – a serious gender and social inequality within education. The girl child in poor communities is doubly disadvantaged relative to boys and girls of higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Although some important initiatives have been underway to support young girls and provide sanitary products, much more work is needed, including the provision of better sanitation facilities, help with the management of menstrual pain and the important opening-up of discourse that can destigmatise menstruation in school contexts (Macleod, Du Toit, Paphitis, & Kelland,
Racism is a serious issue, with a long history in South Africa, given its colonial and apartheid past. Although racism may appear to be less of an issue within rural and other schools historically reserved for black African children because of obviously reduced opportunity, the mere fact that in post-apartheid South Africa there are many schools attended by only (or mainly) black African children is an indication of how pervasive the country’s race problems have been. Furthermore, the post-apartheid era of integrated schools has seen racism very evident in urban schools. There is increasing recognition that there is a structural basis to racism, especially considering it is embedded over time in social policy (Bailey, Feldman, & Basset,
In 2016, a prominent historically white girls’ school in Pretoria courted national controversy over its hairstyle rules that was considered discriminatory towards black African learners (BBC News,
Whilst the separation of schoolchildren by race was outlawed with the fall of apartheid, recent years have witnessed various incidents showing that racism is still very prevalent. An example was at a primary school, where a teacher was accused of separating students in the class according to race. Pictures of black children seated around a table in a corner of the class quite removed from the tables where white children sat in the middle of the class went viral on social media (Joorst,
It is critical that racism is viewed in the context of what it does to children. The American Academy of Paediatrics noted that, amongst other consequences, racism erodes children’s self-esteem and increases stress levels through the anticipation of future violations against them (Trent et al.,
Quality of schooling is one of the prime examples of inequality in South Africa. Education and facilities are very different in private schools or those government schools attended by white children compared to rural and other schools attended predominantly by black African children, with the latter generally very under-resourced. Whilst this is primarily because of the history of apartheid-based inequality in our country, it also reflects the failure of the democratic government to prioritise the development of affected schools. Many rural schools are dilapidated with broken desks and windows, inadequate sanitation, and many are unsafe environments for learning. Gardiner (
Not receiving basic necessities for learning and large class sizes disadvantages children by negatively influencing scholastic development (Gardiner,
In many rural schools, there are more than 45 learners per classroom, meaning a lack of individual attention (Gardiner,
Pit toilets are another serious infrastructure concern within schools. These are dangerous, inhumane, unhygienic and unconducive to learning. Pit toilets have been a significant cause of deaths within schools in rural black African communities. In 2020, there were over 4000 pit toilets still in use (Somdyala,
Whilst we are all engrossed with the COVID-19 pandemic, we seem to have forgotten another global epidemic that has caused massive destruction and loss of life, namely HIV/AIDS, which affected thousands of South African families. Many families lost parents and breadwinners, which led to children having to drop out of school to take care of household chores and younger siblings (Mogotlane, Chauke, Van Rensburg, Human, & Kganakga,
Amongst the problems with child-headed households is the feeling of disempowerment within the multiple challenges that children face, especially the increased responsibilities and shortage of resources (Pillay,
In March 2020, President Ramaphosa declared South Africa under a state of disaster because of COVID-19. As a result, schools and tertiary institutions were closed for most of the year, which meant teaching and learning for many children stopped completely. Very quickly, however, historically white and private schools took teaching and learning to an online platform, whereby students used smartphones, tablets and computers connected to the internet as a learning platform. This was easy because they had access to this technology and the funds to use them. However, only the privileged few benefit from using technology to facilitate homeschooling during the lockdown (Mdepa,
In terms of tertiary education, thousands of students residing in student housing in or around universities and colleges were forced to return to their homes when the country went into lockdown. They had not planned for this expense. The switch to online learning began, but this was not an easy one. Immediately after the lockdown began, 584 students de-registered at one university, whilst many rejected the online learning system, arguing that it was designed for the rich and that poor students will lose out (Monama,
When COVID-19 made landfall in March 2020 in South Africa, many facets of society were forced to shut down, including schools. This resulted in the National School Nutrition Programme being put on hold. This programme ensured that over 9 million schoolchildren had access to one guaranteed nutritious meal in the day (South African Government,
With this type of corruption that takes away food from the mouths of children, the health and academic progress of children is seriously jeopardised. Successful academic study on an empty stomach the entire day is unlikely. The single guaranteed meal helps to combat malnutrition and provide the nutrition the children need to develop physically, cognitively and emotionally, and to be able to formulate and succeed in their career plans. It even motivates school attendance. With the COVID-19 lockdown leading to school closure and the cancellation of the nutrition programme, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had to take legal action, resulting in the Pretoria High Court ordering the government to restart the school nutrition programme (Wicks,
Historically, South Africa had large-scale poverty because of the inequality designed and carefully instituted by colonialism and apartheid. However, as a country we cannot continue blaming apartheid for the current situation whilst failing to take the necessary actions to correct past injustices. Civil society needs to hold the democratically elected government accountable for their actions. More of the kind of swift action by the NGOs in the school nutrition programme is needed in other areas of society.
Although career guidance is essential in schools, most schoolchildren do not have this privilege. Maree (
Many schools across the country viewed the subject
Career development should be discussed from an early age to adequately prepare young people for career possibilities and the challenges they may encounter (Maree,
As this article is based on a selective review, it is acknowledged that certain sources may not have been available for inclusion. Nevertheless, the issues raised in this work are widely documented, especially in relation to social conditions such as inequality and impoverishments in education in sectors of our country.
This research is relevant to the field of career development and education and it should prompt further research into the area. High-quality education and appropriate career planning for the children of South Africa are vital if we are to ensure that our disadvantaged communities have better opportunities than previous generations marginalised by apartheid. Government needs to recognise the current problems and rapidly develop the necessary policies and practices to address the problems. Ensuring that funds are directed to the right places and avoiding corruption must be a priority. Holding officials accountable is also critical. Future research will need to evaluate the efficacy of implemented programmes in order to ensure that any changes made are the most beneficial ones.
Given our difficult history, we need to be very concerned about job opportunities, preparation and career development of our youth. At various levels, forms of structural violence cause great harm and pose significant challenges to the development of our young people, especially those from rural and poor urban environments. The coronavirus disease 2019 entered our lives in a destructive manner and deepened the inequalities and injustices. The pandemic simply added to the corruption epidemic that ravaged South Africa and robbed the poor by stealing what was meant to benefit disadvantaged communities, including children. The mechanisms that could have addressed the inequalities and lifted children out of poverty have been destroyed by COVID-19 and especially by those who looted the country that, 27 years ago, stood high with potential. We are reminded of Fanon (
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Whilst some South African schools attended by white children are equal to the best schools in the world, some schools in predominantly black communities are unconducive to learning. We must remember Nelson Mandela’s legacy and his advocacy for high-quality education for all children. Therefore, the need for redress is urgent, not just against apartheid evils, but also against the recent corrupt practices that pilfered billions. Civil society has to insist on righting the wrongs of past, both distant and immediate, because it has the power to do so. It is important to remember that power is not located solely in one agent, but is multidimensional and all involved have some degree of power (Foucault,
The author declares that she has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced her in writing this article.
I.P. is the sole author of this research article.
This article followed all ethical standards for carrying out research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the author.