Schooling practices in democratic South Africa : What education policy and fieldwork say about social justice and equity

Post-apartheid South Africa has entered a global world and has adopted the international principles and semantics relating to democratic schooling: right and access to free and quality basic education for all, freedom of school choice, community participation, among others. All of these target social change in South Africa. Yet too many children do not have access to quality education; and the doors of parental participation are only open for a happy few.

Based on an empirical study conducted in the primary schools of a semi-rural community in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, this article analyses the conditions of access to quality education. By exposing the socio-economic realities of schooling and the obstacles to equity, it questions the education policy and the State’s conception of social justice and cohesion.

Data was collected in all the six primary schools of the locality by interviewing school staff, parents, SGB and community members and through questionnaires given to each primary school learner, i.e. 2300 learners.

By showing the social backgrounds of the pupils and their social distribution amongst the schools, evidence has been made of the ways access inequalities occur within the locality. Moreover, parents participating in school governance make choices and adopt strategies which are not necessarily conducive to democracy and equity. Although all children have theoretically the right to access quality education, only those from high socio-professional origin have an effective access to it. Poor children of the locality remain disadvantaged and, de facto, social discrimination still takes place.

The educational policy neglects major issues involved in implementing access to quality education for all. A comprehensive approach of schooling practices would prevent from dissociating schools from their social environment and from ignoring their role in shaping social dynamics that yet need to be understood in order to promote equity, social justice and cohesion.