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There is a marked correlation between education and economic prosperity, as skilled workers become<br />

more productive when they work among other skilled people (Glaeser, 2011). Furthermore, the<br />

growing sectors of the economy are knowledge intensive and require skills, which means that in many<br />

cases, matric is the minimum educational threshold for access to formal sector employment. The<br />

returns on schooling also increase dramatically for people who go on to achieve further or higher<br />

education qualifications (CSIR and Economic Rise Consulting, 2008).<br />

Figure 3.12: Changes in the education composition of city populations aged 19+ years<br />

(1995 and 2013)<br />

Share of population aged 19 and older<br />

100%<br />

90%<br />

80%<br />

70%<br />

60%<br />

50%<br />

40%<br />

30%<br />

20%<br />

10%<br />

29% 26% 23% 26% 30% 27% 28% 24% 28% 22% 29% 28% 34% 28% 28% 25% 25% 22% 31% 31%<br />

24% 34% 18% 27% 23% 30% 24% 36% 24% 38% 26% 35% 23% 30% 22% 35% 22% 31% 29% 35%<br />

47% 40% 29% 47% 47% 43% 48% 40% 48% 40% 45% 37% 43% 42% 50% 40% 54% 47% 40% 33%<br />

3<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

1995<br />

2013<br />

All Metros BUFF CPT EKU ETH JHB MAN MSU NMB TSH<br />

More than Matric<br />

Matric<br />

Less than Matric<br />

Source: Quantec Research (2015)<br />

As Figure 3.12 shows, between 1995 and 2013 the proportion of population aged 19+ years that<br />

achieved Grade 12 or a matriculation certificate increased from less than a quarter (24%) to just over<br />

a third (34%). However, despite 17 of South Africa’s 23 higher education institutions being concentrated<br />

in the nine <strong>cities</strong>, the proportion of population with an educational qualification higher than<br />

matriculation declined slightly, from 29% in 1995 to 26% in 2013.<br />

Estimating the improvement in secondary schooling is difficult because of changes to the curriculum<br />

and criteria for passing matric, but the persistently high drop-out rates in tertiary education and<br />

training suggests that this improvement may not provide an adequate foundation for developing<br />

workforce skills. While schools in South Africa’s larger <strong>cities</strong> tend to perform well relative to national<br />

trends, the quality of schooling (i.e., the learning and skills provided, particularly numeracy and literacy)<br />

is lower compared with international peers in developing and developed countries (Kruss et al., 2010).<br />

PRODUCTIVE CITIES 105

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