South Africa can rightfully be called the most developed state on the entire African continent. Despite the problems with social inequality, diseases, water shortages and other difficulties of any African country, South Africa is trying to stand on a par with European and Asian leaders. One of the best things about the Republic of South Africa is its education. Why?
Compulsory but fee-paying schools
Local children are required to go to school, but every citizen is required to pay for their child, so before the locals have a baby, they often set up a bank account to which they save money for the school. School education in South Africa is divided into three stages of 3 years each, and high school lasts from grades 9 to 12. The school year in the country begins in mid-January and ends in late November or early December.
Tuition fees in public schools are about 100 rand per month. Elite schools, which are predominantly attended by children of Afrikaners (white descendants of Europeans), charge more: a month of education here can cost up to 7,000 rand, and the tuition fee for a regular private school is about 700 rand.
Private schools in South Africa offer high-quality education with improved infrastructure and a smaller number of students per class – usually 15-20. In municipal schools, the figure ranges from 40 to 80 pupils per class. All educational institutions in the country adhere to the same standards: a strict dress code and a ban on makeup for girls.
Families on a tight budget usually opt for more affordable public schools. If a white child is in public school, they can unfortunately be bullied on the basis of race. In South Africa, social status often intersects with race, where white skin is associated with wealth and black with poverty.
What Schools Look Like
The best schools in the republic are the Higher School for Boys and the Higher School for Girls. Here, teachers teach in Afrikaans, one of the republic's 11 official languages, inherited from the apartheid era. This separation of the sexes in education dates back to British traditions, although most schools in South Africa do not have such a division.
A typical school in South Africa is a spacious, one-story building. The school day begins at 8 a.m. and opens with a traditional morning line-up: students pray at it, and then the principal makes an address. Lessons continue until 14:00, after which sports and music clubs begin. South Africa pays special attention to physical education, in particular rugby, the country is known for its strong team at the international level.
South Africa's school curriculum does not teach history in a classical way, but instead teaches geography with elements of historical facts, which experts say reflects the nation's reluctance to fully accept and make sense of its turbulent past.
The Country's Universities and Reverse Racism
The Republic of South Africa is proud of its universities, in the top of the best universities on the continent in the first places are South African universities - the level of education in the country is really high. But it is only in recent years that higher education has become widely accessible to the public: this was made possible by the FeesMustFall initiative, which in 2015-2016 achieved the creation of scholarships for working-class students.
In all universities in South Africa, education is conducted in English. The reason was the active campaign of Decolonize University, aimed at excluding Afrikaans from education: almost 8 million people use it, but locals consider it a symbol of white racism. The situation with Afrikaans in South Africa is similar to the way the German language was treated in Germany after World War II.
The population structure is as follows: 2 per cent Indian, 9 per cent white, 9 per cent coloured and 80 per cent black. This demographic pattern is reflected in university studies: even with high exam scores, white students may not get a place at the university because of quotas. Instead, they may enroll black applicants who fit the country's racial policies — some call it "reverse racism." South Africa continues to fight for the creation of a "rainbow nation", an ideal that Nelson Mandela once proclaimed.
How does the study go?
Tuition fees at universities in South Africa differ for local, African, and international students. On average, a year of study for a bachelor's degree costs 16,000-22,000 rand (about 77-104 thousand rubles), and for a master's degree - 20,000-30,000 rand. Bachelor's degree takes 3 years, after which students who want to continue their studies in a master's program must wait a year to apply.
International applicants seeking admission to universities in South Africa must present a diploma of complete secondary education and a certificate of English proficiency - TOEFL or IELTS systems are suitable.
The academic year at universities starts in February. Students attend lectures, each of which lasts 35 minutes. According to the schedule, students cannot have more than three classes per day.
Students have the freedom to choose the subjects they want to study. The cost of specialized courses in Potchefstroom, for example, is estimated at about 10 thousand rubles, and in Johannesburg prices are much higher - the price tag can reach 300 thousand rubles per semester. Low passing scores at South African universities are explained by the poor level of school education: teachers note that the first two years of university education are often spent on bringing the school curriculum to the level of students.
Religion plays an important role in the life of universities, similar to schools. On campus in Potchefstroom, for example, there is a church with its own pastor, students regularly attend Sunday services and participate in Bible circles with the pastor on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Every university in South Africa has influential student councils, which require high academic achievement. The sessions begin with religious chants, followed by a discussion of practical issues. In Potchefstroom, for example, the Student Council initiates fundraisers for blood donors or regularly organizes a 24-hour battery charging exercise bike marathon.
