By Gail Campbell, CEO of Zenex Foundation
As South Africa embarks on a new chapter following the recent national elections, it is an opportune moment to reflect on the past 15 years of progress in our education sector and to delineate strategic priorities moving forward.
It is good to remember that education reform is a marathon, not a sprint.Most South Africans are aware of the huge challenges faced by the education system. However, the full story is not all doom and gloom. Although severe challenges persist, there have been positive developments that provide a platform for driving forward the next phase of education reform.
In the last 15 years, progress has been made in learner achievement, but our education systems achievement is still below the norm as a middle-income country.
In the spirit of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Minister Gwarube has said that she intends to set up a consultative forum consisting of education sector representatives, trade unions, school governing bodies and others to find sustainable and effective solutions.