The Republic of South Africa is the only country in Africa that is part of the Group of Twenty. Despite the fact that it is a dynamically developing country, it has still not been possible to cope with the countless problems inherited by the modern authorities of the country from the apartheid regime. Among them are a high Ginny coefficient, a weak education system and the highest unemployment rate.
About this and much more - in our today's material.
Rules of the game
Secondary education in the country is compulsory, although in fact it is commercial. The very first thing that a man and a woman do on the eve of childbirth is to acquire a bank account, an endowment for the education of the child.
Studying at a public school will cost 1100 rand per year - about 6 thousand rubles; non-state and elite schools, where the children of the descendants of the Boers and the British study, account for 10-15% of the total number of schools. Education here reaches several hundred thousand rand a year, but most often we are talking about 4-5 thousand.
Families with a large number of children and a high level of income can spend up to several million on children's education. If there is no money for a decent school, you have to go to the state school: everything is much more affordable here, but if the white child is alone in the class, he will most likely have to face bullying.
The system consists of three levels, each for three years. Separately there is a high school - grades 10 -12. They study from mid-January to the end of November or the first decade of December. The work of teachers is not very well paid, but you can count on 10-13 thousand rands even in a small town. In private schools, the conditions that study, that work is much better.
The internal rules are universal. Although the uniform varies, absolutely all students must wear it. Piercings, provocative accessories, tattoo or makeup are strictly prohibited.
What does a regular school look like?
Most often it is a one-story building the size of a university campus. Classes start at eight o'clock in the morning with a general formation in the courtyard, which is accompanied by the reading of a prayer and a parting speech of the priest: they say, study well, children, and you will be happy. The director often speaks.
Classes last up to two hours, then students move on to sections, play sports. There are no classes in public schools on Saturdays, but they go to school: there are sports competitions and similar events.
Interesting fact: South African schools do not teach history in its pure form – we are talking about geography with a historical component. The thing is that the country has not developed a single historiography, work in this direction is still underway.
In addition, great importance is attached to sports. For example, in rugby, the country has almost the best national team in the world: this team game is considered useful for the formation of a common spirit and a sense of elbow sung by the British.
Choral music is also very popular here; there is a broadcast like our battle of choirs, but instead of old women and military personnel, the participants in Africa are schoolchildren. The winners are then taken around the world and "demonstrated" as part of the festival programs.
Higher education
Unlike all other South African states, higher education has only recently become universally available. In the middle of the last decade, under pressure from non-profit organizations, the country's authorities were forced to initiate scholarships covering the cost of eduction students from the families of workers and peasants.
Instruction is conducted in English, and Afrikaans – formerly Boer – has now been removed from the curriculum because it is considered a legacy of racists.
It is believed that if a student is white, then he is the heir of racists and promoters of apartheid politics and must answer for it. In higher education institutions, and indeed in any other public sphere, national quotas are applied. Everything should correspond to the proportion: 2% Hindus, 10% white and colored, and the rest are dark-skinned. There are often situations when a person scores the most points in the stream, bypassing other applicants by head, and then flies past the place only because the quota is chosen, and his place is taken by a clueless African American. In general, the construction of the rainbow nation according to the precepts of Mandela was not set.
Classes begin in February, and pairs last no more than 35-40 minutes, three daily. Students independently determine which subjects to study, most often the first courses are devoted to the re-assimilation of the school curriculum. In general, the level of education is weak, to say the least.
But religious issues are directly related to university life. Every campus of everyone, even the most liberal institution of higher education, has a pastor plus its own church or chapel. On Sundays, undressed and festively dressed teachers and students attend services, and on other days you can find the Lord in courses for the joint study of the Holy Scriptures.
Of the positive aspects, it should be noted a very strong and influential student self-government. Accordingly, in order to become a candidate for membership in the student council, you should demonstrate incredible success in your studies.
Everyday still life
The most serious problem in South Africa is safety – this is the place where you should keep your ears on the top of your head. Basically, almost no one walks – either beggars or bandits. Everyone prefers public transport or private cars. Pupils and students move in groups, often accompanied by adults.
