How South Africa’s school jobs programme aims to tackle educational inequality

President Cyril Ramaphosa says access to resources and quality teaching remains uneven. President Cyril Ramaphosa says unequal access to resources and quality teaching remains a major challenge in South Africa’seducationsystem, particularly in township and rural schools.

Ramaphosa reflected on issues raised during his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), where he outlined efforts to prepare young people to compete and thrive in a rapidly changing world. “While we have made significant progress over the last three decades, from expanding access to school to steadily improving matric results, there are still huge challenges in education.” “Access to resources and quality teaching is uneven.” “Schools in townships and rural areas often struggle with overcrowding and educators have limited access to professional development and support.” Ramaphosa pointed to the Basic Education Employment Initiative, founded in 2020 as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus, as one of the interventions helping to address these gaps.