The intent of this background paper is primarily descriptive, to identify key trends over the
past six years which have implications for the transition of young people in the Western
Cape through their educational and working lives.
The public provision of schooling contributes fundamentally to human resources
development by laying the basis of the life skills needed to function in society, as well as
preparing people for the labour market and higher education. This paper investigates the
extent and quality of school coverage in the Western Cape from 1998 to 2003. It assesses the
size of the school system over the last 6 years as well as its output. Its focus is a quantitative
overview of access to education, the efficiency of the school system, and issues of equity in
the provision and outcomes of schooling.
Access of children to schooling is shown through the growth in school enrolment and
indicators such as the gross and net enrolment. The paper assesses internal efficiency by
studying the dynamics of student flows and by measuring dropout and repetition. An
analysis of enrolments resulting from intra-provincial and inter-provincial transfers and the
impact it will have on the human and physical resources of the Western Cape is undertaken.
Finally, indicators of learning achievement are investigated and include scores on
international testing instruments and output from the Senior Certificate Examination.
Analysis will demonstrate that relative to national trends, the education system in the
Western Cape is performing satisfactorily. The Western Cape schooling system ensures
virtually universal access to schooling for children between the ages of 7 and 14, and on a
key exit indicator, its learners have consistently achieved the highest provincial pass rate in
the matriculation examination in recent years. However, there remain significant problems
in relation to the efficiency and equity of the system, which have implications for the
number and quality of school leavers available to enter the workforce, Further Education
colleges and higher education institutions.