Glacier Quarterly 1 - 2018

MARKET RESEARCH
equates to approximately 54%. Only
401 307 learners actually passed this
matric examination at the end of 2017.
‘The statistics that relate to the success
rates of those learners undertaking
the National Senior Certificate final
examination point to serious systemic flaws
in education in South Africa, and unless
these are tackled with urgency, the poverty
numbers will not improve significantly in
future,’ Jean cautions.
A key systemic question that plagues
researchers, and that will need to be
tackled with urgency, is: What are the
reasons for the huge drop-off of learners
during their 12-year primary and secondary
education period? Answering this question
effectively will mean addressing the
broader socio-political and economic
context within which an already ailing
education system simply worsens. Issues
to address include training and upskilling
educators; school management; the
barriers to access; curriculum strategy
that supports a productive workforce of
tomorrow; the costs of basic education;
food security; language policy; early
school-leaving to find employment to
support households; teenage fertility,
gender violence in schools; substance
abuse; gang and criminal activity in schools
and communities; HIV/Aids prevention and
management; child-headed households –
the list is long.
The silver lining?
‘There are very few positives to focus on
in the 2018 BMR Report. The silver lining is
that the priority list for Ramaphosa is not
actually very long,’ Jean says. ‘The two or
three items on the president’s to-do list
are immense and intricate, but if they’re
tackled effectively, they can completely
change the social and economic landscape
in South Africa.’
Jean and Thabo agree that an
encouraging factor is that the morale of
most people in South Africa has been lifted
since Ramaphosa’s inauguration. Hope
and positivity are vital in nation-building.
Now, our collective energy needs to be
harnessed to get the national job done.
Jean Dommisse
Head of Client and Market
Insights at Sanlam
Thabo Mofokeng
Market Insights Specialist
for Sanlam Life