WATCH: Little attention given to learners that don’t complete their studies

Each year the new school year begins with much fanfare. The same can be said for the week during which matric results are released. However, little to zero attention is given to the number of learners who never complete their schooling career. Programme director of the Zero Dropout Campaign, Marlene Mansfield, explains that the matric […]

WATCH: Understanding the contextual factors that lead to disengagement and dropout

Merle Mansfield, Programme Director of the Zero Dropout Campaign, unpacks the state of education in South Africa and elaborates on South Africa’s high dropout rate. She explains that dropout comes at the end of a long process of disengagement in which a learner is pushed or pulled away from school by factors beyond their control. […]

LISTEN: South Africa’s education system faces alarmingly high dropout rate

As South African schools reopen for the new academic year and welcome learners back into classrooms the country’s education system is still facing an alarmingly high dropout rate. According to the Zero Drop Out Campaign, the biggest challenge is the shortage of resources and support for learners from underprivileged communities.

LISTEN: The impact of Covid-19 disruptions and learning losses on exam readiness

With school exams fast approaching the question of whether learners are ready or not surfaces. Our Program Director, Merle Mansfield, speaks to Power FM about this. She is joined in conversation by the Department of Basic Education’s spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, and Co-founder of the Faculty of Best Advisory, Mafule Moswane. Mansfield elaborates on the impact […]

OPINION: In the wake of the pandemic, a proposed new law to reduce school dropout is still falling short

We welcome the well-intentioned attempts by the government to reduce dropout through proposed changes to the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (BELA Bill), but there are parts of the proposed new law that we need to get right urgently. Clause three of the BELA Bill places new obligations on educators, principals and school governing bodies to track absenteeism […]

LISTEN: New research shows that there has been an increase in school dropout during the Covid-19 pandemic

Merle Mansfield, Program Director of the Zero Dropout Campaign, speaks to SAfm host Stephen Grootes about the impact of the pandemic and school closures on school dropout. Research done by Stats SA for 2021 shows that there has been an increase in dropout particularly among older learners. “3 out of ten pupils aged 18 years […]

OPINION: Even before the pandemic, pupils were falling behind – how can we achieve a fundamental catch-up?

Learning loss. We’ve heard this term a fair number of times since the Covid-19 pandemic began. It’s commonly understood as a specific or general loss of knowledge and skills, or a reversal in academic progress because of gaps in a pupil’s education. On radio, television and in newspapers, education researchers and experts used the term to describe the impact […]

OPINION: Missing learners and shaky data. Why data collection systems need to be fixed

If someone wants to know how many pupils are enrolled in the South African public schooling system, we say ask the Department of Basic Education (DBE). If someone wants to know about absenteeism rates, repetition rates and matric pass rates, the department would have those answers too. The education department should, in theory, be the […]

LISTEN: Could offering parents school vouchers help keep children in school?

In some parts of the world, parents and caregivers are given vouchers to spend on their children’s education to inspire greater choice and competition in the basic education sector. Over the years, there have been calls from certain quarters for a similar system to be brought to South Africa to give parents more power to […]

We need to help teen moms, not punish them

A 2021 report from the Zero Dropout Campaign explains that pregnancy can interfere with a teenage girl’s education even before the baby is born. Young women are more likely to miss school during the pregnancy, as they have to take time off both before and after giving birth and also need to go for regular […]

WATCH: Concerns over rising number of child pregnancies in KwaZulu-Natal

According to Stats SA KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of child pregnancies between 10 and 17-year-olds. An estimated 83 000 children gave birth during 2019 and 2020. KwaZulu-Natal registered more than 18 000 childbirths, 5 000 of which were children between the ages of 10 and 14. Merle Mansfield, Programme Director of the Zero Dropout […]

WATCH: School dropout in South Africa

School closures coupled with the economic shocks of lockdown has seen South Arica’s already high dropout rate increase. This problem of school dropout extends beyond the individual, as dropout and unemployment are inextricably linked. To deal with joblessness, we also need to plug gaps in our education system so that more pupils complete school. Zengeziwe […]

LISTEN: We need an accelerated catch up plan for basic numeracy and literacy

Our Reading for Meaning Project Lead, Pumza Ndamase, spoke to Metro FM host Sabelo Mtshali about the need for accelerated catch up for basic numeracy and literacy after two consecutives years of disruptions to schooling. Ndamase explains that we need to meet learners at their level and respond to their needs. Where possible, plans to […]

LISTEN: South Africa needs real-time data to get an up-to-date and relevant picture of school dropout in the country

The Zero Dropout Campaign has explored the knowns and unknowns in dropout debates and they recommend that the availability of accurate and reliable data will allow for accountability within the education sector. This is because the best way to promote accountability is by making dropout a key performance indicator and by making budgetary commitments that […]

OPINION: Knowledge is power. Real-time data on school dropout needed

Before the pandemic, at least four out of ten learners in South Africa who started school did not finish. But Covid-19 lockdowns and two consecutive years of disruptions to regular schooling have amplified the factors that typically lead to disengagement and dropout. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has attempted to quantify the impact of […]

WATCH: Concern over school dropout rate

South Africa’s education sector struggles to retain learners. Every year a large number of pupils enter the schooling system, but not all of them finish with matric. The Zero Dropout Campaign says this trend should not be normalized and much more needs to be done to adequately address the issue. Rahima Essop, Head of Communications […]

South Africa needs a national education strategy to tackle the school dropout crisis

School dropout rates have an impact on students, their families and communities, and on society as a whole. While everyone in South Africa is impacted by the phenomenon, everyone has the potential to be part of the solution. Education experts explored the strategies that can be employed to protect learners’ constitutionally guaranteed right to education […]

Learning losses, amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic, are going to be felt down the line

Covid-19 school closures, together with rotational timetabling have resulted in extensive learning losses. Gaps in foundational learning can catch up to learners in later grades. Without the foundational skills to grasp the curriculum, many learners become disengaged and drop out before completing matric. High repetition also leads to many learners being over-aged for their class, […]

LISTEN: What does it take to help learners complete Grade 12?

Even before the pandemic four out of 10 learners would drop out of school before completing matric. The Zero Dropout Campaign wants to change the perception that school dropout is a normal occurrence by demonstrating what it takes to help learners complete Grade 12.  Seshego Kgopa, Mentor Manager at the Zero Dropout Campaign, speaks to Lesedi FM […]

LISTEN: We need to curb South Africa’s literacy crisis

Recently the 2030 Reading Panel, chaired by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, met to discuss South Africa’s literacy crisis and found that it will take 80 years before all 10 year olds can read for meaning. Pumza Ndamase, Project Lead of the Reading for Meaning Programme at the Zero Dropout Campaign, joins Host Aubrey Masango to discuss this. […]