An assessment of the slow improvement in the quality of education as a poverty trap in the Free State.

Abstract

This paper aims to inform policy-makers and development practitioners with evidence of the slow improvement in the quality of education and its impact in the labour market as a means to address poverty and inequality. Several aspects of education quality influencing attainment levels which are the main outcomes impacted by education were looked at. The analysis focused in mathematics and science results in Grade 12 and ANA results in lower grades for the quality of the education system. Results demonstrate that the slow improvement in the quality of education has a negative impact in the number of learners passing matric with mathematics and science. Therefore slow improvement in the quality of education has a direct impact in lower attainment levels of African youth with a direct impact in the low quality of the labour force. As a result of low quality labour from poor communities, many of them are unemployed, which makes it difficult for poor communities to advance to change their poor conditions of living and address the inequality of income.