Newsletters 2019-07-21 Newsletter 207 - What parents think of the South African Education System Ipsos, in collaboration with the Varkey Foundation, has released its annual Global Parents survey, looking at parents’ perceptions of education and the schools they send their children to. Parents were polled on what they think of schools, what their priorities would be for education, and how well they think their children are prepared for 2030. The survey asked almost 27,500 parents in 29 countries across the world – including South Africa – with the data weighted by age, gender and region. “Parents’ confidence in the quality of teaching at their children’s schools is high globally, with 78% rating it good or very good. However, when parents were asked about the quality of free-to-attend schools in their country in general, they were far less confident with only 45% of parents surveyed rating them as good,” the report said. However, the results also show that there is only a tenuous link between how good parents think their child’s education is, and the actual education outcomes, as measured by the PISA international educational rankings. For example, parents in South Korea (43%) and Japan (60%) have the lowest confidence in the quality of their child’s education – but the two countries actually excel in the PISA rankings. Other findings were that parents’ biggest concerns about their children’s futures globally remain bread and butter issues – 42% listed getting a job and having a successful career among their top three anxieties for their child’s future. Money and the cost of living was the second biggest concern (34%). South Africa While globally parents remain upbeat about their children’s education – perceptions are particularly negative in South Africa.
Anxiety for the future
|