The endemic dysfunction of the country’s school system rests on two pillars. The primary cause is
weak capacity throughout the civil service – teachers, principals, and system level officials simply
don’t have the skills to do their jobs – which results not only in very poor schooling outcomes, but
also breeds a lack of respect for the institution of government. The mirror image of this weakness in
the technical core is a culture of patronage which permeates almost all areas of the civil service, with
few departmental and, to a limited extent, one or two provincial exceptions. These two factors are
closely related, with nepotism and the appointment of unsuitable personnel further weakening
government capacity, and driving officials, in the absence of the technical skills, to entrench their
positions by building their own patronage networks.
Together these two pillars of school dysfunctionality create a culture of impunity. Under these
conditions it is surprising to find any schools that deliver excellent education, but there are many,
often working under the most difficult conditions, which provide positive lessons for the system and
hope for the children in their care. Unfortunately, there are far too many more that show us what
not to do, revealing the horrific consequences of a society which neglects expertise, and allows gross
inefficiency and predation by special interest groups to stifle commitment to learning. The result is a
poorly literate nation in which inequality widens.
The solution to the first pillar of dysfunctional schooling – poor capacity in government – is technical:
skills must be built to establish and maintain the systems which drive learning, and which enable
officials to earn respect through competence and service. The solution to the problem of nepotism
and corruption is political, and must be addressed, first and foremost, within the political sphere.
Unless both pillars are addressed South Africa cannot rise to the kind of developmental state that
provides real opportunities for the poor. We initially discuss these two issues separately below,
although in reality they are closely related, and any action plan aimed at addressing them will need
to coordinate the political and the technical.