Child friendly Schools
South Africa has made noteworthy progress, since 1994, to equalize the education system, which was used as a tool of political and social oppression during apartheid and resulted in a dysfunctional and dualistic sector. Resources have been poured into public schools to redress inequities and improve standards. Still the legacy of parallel education systems remains. On the one hand, there is a mass of rural peri-urban and township schools. These schools are cash-strapped, lack the basics such as water supply and sanitation and are often targets of crime and vandalism. On the other, are the well-resourced former Model “C” schools, with computer and science labs, sports fields, swimming pools and libraries and top teaching staffs. The disparities within the school system mirror South Africa’s economic disparities. The country has one of the world’s most unequal societies, with a Gini coefficient of 0.64. The majority of South Africans live in poverty and deprivation, whilst a minority enjoys relative wealth and all the advantages of a technologically advanced society. Approximately six percent of the South African population captures over 40 percent of income earned . Despite strong economic growth since 1994, unemployment remains high, at 25.6 percent, and is a stark expression of the ‘two economies’ in one country. Equitable social development aimed at transforming the nation is a major long-term challenge.
School based violence, learner pregnancy, drop outs (and increasingly boys); lack of quality education and poor or inadequate infrastructure remain manifestations of the social, economic and cultural inequities in the country’s school communities. UNICEF works with the National Department of Education to address these inequalities and to improve the situation in South African schools and communities suffering from extreme levels of school based violence, drug abuse, gangsterism, learner pregnancy, low pass rates and high drop out rates. Through UNICEF’s strategic assistance, the Department plans to drastically change the realities of the social situation of children and transform their schools by building a legacy of quality learning for all.
A school is ‘child-friendly’, if it is:
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