Volume 2: Issue 3 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Education and the South African labour market
October 2016
An outcome of the apartheid government’s education policies was a low-quality and unequal schooling system, leading to a post-school
education system that is not accessible to those with poor levels of schooling. Education is a key priority, and the country has invested
enormous resources to improve the schooling system. The state has improved ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Education and skills development / Labour market / Matrics / Science and Engineering graduates
Volume 2: Issue 2 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Mathematics education: how does it all add up?
September 2016
The South African government has highlighted the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the
development of the country. However, the number of learners in Grade 12 passing mathematics with high quality passes is
low. This has significant implications for post-school education, the labour market and the developmen ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Labour market / Mathematics Achievement in South Africa / Matrics / Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Volume 2: Issue 1 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Science attitudes, awareness and education
August 2016
This month’s newsletter focuses on the relationship between science and the public as we celebrate National Science Week in
South Africa. This initiative by the Department of Science and Technology is being held from 8-13 August at various sites
across the country, with the theme of ‘Science for Sustainable Development and Improved Quality of ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Department of Science and Technology / National Science Week / Science and the public
Volume 1: Issue 9 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Poverty, Inequality and Education
April 2016
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world in terms of income distribution. This edition
of the TIMSS newsletter examines inequality not only evident in relation to income, but in relation to the
different layers of inequality which exist within the country. Two important issues that cannot be
overlooked when speaking about i ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Higher education / Inequalities / Inequality in South African education / Labour market
Volume 1: Issue 8 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Resources and spending on education
March 2016
The debates around resources and spending on education usually focus on expanding access to quality
education to underserved groups. The lack of adequate funding, however, may prevent low-and lowermiddle income countries from achieving this goal (see The Education 2030 Agenda). This edition of the
TIMSS SA newsletter explores resources and spendi ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Free education / Inequality in South African education / School resources / South African household spending
Volume 1: Issue 7 TIMSS SA Newsletter – The Matric issue
February 2016
The January release of the matric results puts a spot light on the performance
of our learners and sparks debates about the health of the South African
education system. This month’s newsletter therefore focuses on aspects of the
matric results, as well as the debates which have surfaced surrounding learner
performance in general.
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Learner achievement / Matrics / South African school system
Volume 1: Issue 12 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Educational pathways and transitions
July 2016
In this month’s newsletter we focus on the pathways and transitions of South African students through the education
system. All of the resources included here seek to understand the various pathways and transitions which are followed
by students and the factors which affect them, in order to understand what is happening within our education and ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Education system / Educational pathways / Higher education / Labour market
Volume 1: Issue 11 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Making technology work
June 2016
Information and communication technology (ICT) in schools has been widely promoted on the basis that it has the
potential to improve and diversify learning. The South African government has recognised this fact in the 2004 White
Paper on e-education, as well as the Department of Basic Education’s Action Plan to 2019. In this month’s issue, we ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Information and communication technology (ICT) / Technology
Volume 1: Issue 10 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Miles to go: travelling to school in South Africa
May 2016
Many South African children, particularly those in rural areas, must travel long distances to get to school each day.
These journeys are associated with a host of challenges and dangers. In response to the many challenges which
learners encounter, the National Learner Transport Policy was introduced in 2015. We explore the challenges that
learne ...
Published in: 2016
Keywords: Rural education in South Africa / Transport / Travelling to school
Volume 1: Issue 6 TIMSS SA Newsletter – Insights into rural education and learner attitudes to science
December 2015
In this month’s blog, Lisa Wiebesiek provides insights into rural education in
South Africa, based on her extensive fieldwork experience in the Eastern
Cape and Kwazulu-Natal provinces. These reflections paint a picture of the
life of learners in rural communities and the importance of context specific
educational interventions.
Published in: 2015
Keywords: Rural education in South Africa / Science