The current state of literacy in South African education is indeed a roadmap of poverty!

Findings from the Poverty Trends in South Africa report released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has shown a strong link between increased level of education and decreased levels of poverty. While the overall level of poverty has declined between 2006 and 2011, there are stark differences when one examines poverty status according to the education status of individuals.

In 2011, two-thirds of those who had no education were living in poverty. This decreased to 60% for those who had some primary, and 55% for those who had completed primary school. The level dropped to 44% for those who had some secondary schooling, and dropped even further to 23,6% for those who had completed matric. Only 1 in 20 people who had some form of higher education were living in poverty in 2011.

Most South African pupils cannot read, write and compute at grade-appropriate levels, with large proportions being functionally illiterate and innumerate. As far as educational outcomes, South Africa has the worst education system of all middle-income countries that participate in cross-national assessments of educational achievement.

A higher level of education does not, however, cushion individuals from the impact of economics, as demonstrated by the fact that in 2009, in the midst of the global recession, 1 in 10 people with some form of higher education were living in poverty.

Irrespective of which subject or grade one chooses to test, most South African children are performing significantly below the curriculum, often failing to acquire functional numeracy and literacy skills. Apart from the 25%of schools that are mostly functional, South African schools as they currently stand do not, and arguably cannot, impart to pupils the foundational knowledge and skills they should be acquiring at school.

Poor school performance in South Africa reinforces social inequality and leads to a situation where children inherit the social station of their parents, irrespective of their motivation or ability. Until such a time as the DBE and the ruling administration are willing to seriously address the underlying issues in South African education, at whatever political or economic cost, the existing patterns of underperformance and inequality will remain unabated.