Education in South Africa vs United States
Education is an institution found in nearly all cultures around the world. Education varies in ranking in what is fundamentally important within a culture. There are different learning styles, educational pathways and perceptions of education that are influenced based upon a culture’s language, norms, values, symbols and beliefs. Such a case of variation between cultures is seen in the educational practices and systems in South Africa and the United States.
Located on the southern end of the African continent, South Africa is commonly referred to as the “Rainbow Nation”. South Africa’s multicultural diversity stems from colonization of Dutch settlers and British settlers in the 1800’s as well the …show more content…
The state has obligation to ensure that education is made available and accessible. South Africa is known to have one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the world. The government spends more on education than it does on anything else. Government spending on basic education was estimated at about $468 billion. South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework (NQF) recognizes three bands of education, including General Education and Training, Further Education and Training and lastly, Higher Education and Training. General Education and Training runs from grade zero to grade nine. Along with General Education and training, there is a program called Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) available for adults looking to complete their basic education. Further Education and Training takes place in grades ten and twelve. This focuses on career oriented learning and training offered in some institutions such as community colleges and private colleges. Higher Education and Training, also known as tertiary education, provides education for under graduate and postgraduate degrees, certificates and diplomas, up to the doctoral degree. Under the South African Schools Act of 1996, education is compulsory for all South Africans through the age of seven starting at grade one to age fifteen or the completion of ninth …show more content…
Like American school systems, the South African school systems are also broken off into about three different levels, with the final level involving higher education including community colleges and universities. Like high school and higher education level students in America, the Further Education and Training in South Africa prepares students for getting diplomas and certificates as well as earning some type of degree. Adult Basic Education and training offered to adults in South Africa to complete their basic education is like the GED in which students can complete basic education through testing that equivalates to a high school diploma in America. As far as the racial disparities, the United States no longer segregates students based upon their race, however they once did just as the apartheid in South Africa did. Minority students in the U.S., that is any non-white student, continue to underperform in basic skills in English, mathematics and science. In minority underperformance in education, South Africa children that are non-white also have significantly lower performance rates than their white peers. The racial divide that still exists in America serves just as the legacy of the apartheid did in South Africa, leading to children with poorer education quality
Education is an institution found in nearly all cultures around the world. Education varies in ranking in what is fundamentally important within a culture. There are different learning styles, educational pathways and perceptions of education that are influenced based upon a culture’s language, norms, values, symbols and beliefs. Such a case of variation between cultures is seen in the educational practices and systems in South Africa and the United States.
Located on the southern end of the African continent, South Africa is commonly referred to as the “Rainbow Nation”. South Africa’s multicultural diversity stems from colonization of Dutch settlers and British settlers in the 1800’s as well the …show more content…
The state has obligation to ensure that education is made available and accessible. South Africa is known to have one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the world. The government spends more on education than it does on anything else. Government spending on basic education was estimated at about $468 billion. South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework (NQF) recognizes three bands of education, including General Education and Training, Further Education and Training and lastly, Higher Education and Training. General Education and Training runs from grade zero to grade nine. Along with General Education and training, there is a program called Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) available for adults looking to complete their basic education. Further Education and Training takes place in grades ten and twelve. This focuses on career oriented learning and training offered in some institutions such as community colleges and private colleges. Higher Education and Training, also known as tertiary education, provides education for under graduate and postgraduate degrees, certificates and diplomas, up to the doctoral degree. Under the South African Schools Act of 1996, education is compulsory for all South Africans through the age of seven starting at grade one to age fifteen or the completion of ninth …show more content…
Like American school systems, the South African school systems are also broken off into about three different levels, with the final level involving higher education including community colleges and universities. Like high school and higher education level students in America, the Further Education and Training in South Africa prepares students for getting diplomas and certificates as well as earning some type of degree. Adult Basic Education and training offered to adults in South Africa to complete their basic education is like the GED in which students can complete basic education through testing that equivalates to a high school diploma in America. As far as the racial disparities, the United States no longer segregates students based upon their race, however they once did just as the apartheid in South Africa did. Minority students in the U.S., that is any non-white student, continue to underperform in basic skills in English, mathematics and science. In minority underperformance in education, South Africa children that are non-white also have significantly lower performance rates than their white peers. The racial divide that still exists in America serves just as the legacy of the apartheid did in South Africa, leading to children with poorer education quality