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In South Africa the education follows a 7-2-3 system,
where the primary school lasts for 7 years, the secondary
school for 2 years and the secondary school for 3 years.
According to UNESCO, 11% of the population over 15 years
were illiterate in 2007.
Basic education
The official school starting age is 7 years, and both
primary and secondary school are compulsory. From 1998, a
national curriculum was gradually introduced focusing on the
skills the students will master in the various steps. In
primary school, basic knowledge and skills in language and
mathematics are emphasized. Emphasis is placed on systematic
assessment of pupils. Primary and lower secondary school can
be followed by 2 and 3-year upper secondary education in
study and vocational preparatory subjects. Higher education
is offered by many different institutions. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in South Africa.
Higher education
In 1997, a national system for higher education was
established. The country has 23 universities and a number of
colleges.
The University of Cape Town is the nation's oldest
university and was founded as early as 1828. Five former
Nobel laureates have studied at the University, and in 1967
the world's first heart transplant took place at the
University Hospital.
History
Until the early 1990s, the educational system in South
Africa was strongly influenced by racial segregation policy.
There were three different educational systems: one for the
whites, one for the Africans and one for the colored (the
blend group and Indians), which was administered by 19
different central authorities with very uneven resource
allocation.
Since 1994, comprehensive reforms have been implemented
with the dismantling of the apartheid system and the
development of a national education system at all levels. In
the 1996 Constitution, access to free education is a right
for everyone. From 1995, education is subject to one
national Ministry of Education. Education is a high priority
area for the ANC to equalize the large social and economic
differences between the ethnic groups.
1899 Boer Wars
Coexistence between the Boers and the British Crown ended
in 1867, when large deposits of diamonds were discovered in
the Transvaal. When it became clear that the area was of
great economic and strategic value, England proposed the
creation of a federation between the Cape Province and the
two free states. The Boers rejected the proposal, and in
1899 war broke out. The English gained support from most of
its colonies and the Boers were supported by Germany.
The Boer War ended after 3 years, when the Boers
surrendered, accepting British supremacy, but with some form
of autonomy in its territories. 50,000 Africans had
been killed and twice the number were in British
concentration camps.
The victory of the English was at the same time a defeat
for the agricultural-based economy of the Transvaal and
Oranje. From then on, the mining industry became the most
economically important sector. White workers and technicians
flocked to South Africa, with approx. 25,000 annually in the
period 1890-1910. The European population both increased and
changed character: from farmers to capital owners, business
people and skilled workers. With the strategic role of gold,
South Africa became embedded in the capitalist world system.
The peace agreement was characterized by the desire for
reconciliation and amalgamation within the white population,
with British mining capital and the more prosperous part of
the Boers setting out the preconditions for the South
African Union established in 1910. The Boer generals L.
Botha and J.-C. Smuts became the first prime ministers and
symbolized that political leadership was initially placed in
the hands of the peasant bourgeoisie.
South Africa's foreign policy
South African foreign policy has an obvious distinction
at the introduction of democracy and the regime change in
1994. From being internationally isolated, South Africa
gradually became an integral part of the world community,
and from being in principle excluded from African
cooperation, South Africa became a political and economic
momentum on the continent. Conversely, under apartheid,
South Africa was a major concern in African and
international politics, with widespread condemnation and -
gradually - increasing international sanctions against the
regime.
African cooperation
Since 1994, the ANC government has pursued an active and
independent foreign policy. Above all, foreign policy has
gained a clear African focus, as well as strengthened
contact with other countries in the south. Particular
emphasis is placed on developing close relations with the
countries of southern Africa, both because of the shared
history of the struggle against apartheid and to strengthen
regional integration. Central to this cooperation is the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional
association, which South Africa joined in 1994, while
cooperation within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
has continued. In 1994, South Africa was resumed in the
Commonwealth of Nations, the same year it joined The African
Unity Organization (OAU), now the African Union (AU) - where
South Africa chaired 2003-2004. In 1994, South Africa also
joined the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, and
signed a declaration to make the South Atlantic a nuclear
weapons-free zone.
In 2001, President Thabo Mbeki and South Africa were
among the proponents of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) - a new foundation for cooperation on
African development in the new millennium, in line with a
policy of an African Renaissance promoted by Mbeki, which
pursued an active foreign policy and placed great emphasis
on strengthening African relations, politically,
economically and culturally. In 2004, the AU decided to
place its pan-African parliament in South Africa, a sign of
the country's new and strong political position on the
continent. South Africa chaired the Alliance Free States
Movement in the period 1998–2002.
South Africa's relationship with the rest of Africa has
also been characterized by South Africa's strong emphasis on
consensus and desire for cooperation. This has often led
South Africa to be unwilling to take positions that may be
perceived as controversial by other African leaders. At the
same time, South Africa's relationship is characterized by
South Africa's strong role as an investor and trading
partner in parts of the continent. In recent years, riots
and harassment of African immigrants to South Africa have
created new problems for South Africa's relations with the
rest of Africa.
International organizations
South Africa was one of 51 countries that founded the
United Nations in 1945, but was suspended in 1974 because of
apartheid policy. The UN supported the fight against
apartheid and imposed sanctions on the regime, while the two
liberation organizations ANC and PAC gained observer status.
In May 1994, the UN Security Council repealed the last
remaining sanctions, the arms embargo, and the country was
allowed to resume its participation in UN agencies; the new
government places great emphasis on multilateralism and
actively participates in the work of the UN. South Africa
was a member of the UN Security Council for the first time
in 2007-2008. During the transitional period between
apartheid and democracy, the UN deployed a smaller observer
group, the UN Observer Mission in South Africa (UNOMSA),
to assist in dealing with the political violence in the
country.
Conflict resolution and peacekeeping operations
As a regional and continental power, expectations of
South Africa have also been set in the area of conflict
resolution and peace efforts. Former President Nelson
Mandela was thus active, among other things, in trying to
find a solution to the conflict in Burundi. Later South
Africa has been active mediators and in the conflicts in
Congo (Zaire), Ivory Coast, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar,
South Sudan and Zimbabwe. South Africa has made a strong
contribution to military, police and civilian operations in
several UN peacekeeping operations.
China
In 1997, South Africa established diplomatic relations
with China, at the expense of Taiwan. China, as in other
parts of Africa, has established close economic relations
with South Africa. China is today South Africa's most
important trading partner and a major investor in the
country. |
