The School System | South Africa A child may begin schooling with grade 0 (also called reception, or grade-R) from the age of four. Grades 1 to 9 are compulsory and classified as General Education and Training (GET). Grades 11 and 12, Further Education and Training (FET), are non-compulsory; qualification at this level with a matriculation certificate is required to enter tertiary education. Some schools offer a post-matric/sixth-form level which allows students to sit for A-level exams. The three-tier system of education is as follows: Primary school: Grade 0/1 to grade 6/7 Secondary school: Grade 8 to 9 (compulsory); grade 10 to 12 (non-compulsory) Tertiary education: Universities, technical colleges This system is also referred to in phases: Foundation phase: Reception to grade 3 Intermediate phase: Grades 4 to 6 Senior phase: Grades 7 to 9 Further Education and Training (FET): Grades 10 to 12 (matriculation certificate) Higher Education (HE) Pre-Primary/Preschool Compulsory education begins at grade 1. Primary school
Mandela in the Movies: 10 Films About Apartheid A few weeks ago, the first black President of the United States saw a movie about the first black President of South Africa. Aside from that White House screening for Barack Obama, only four theaters are currently showing Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which goes into wider release on Christmas Day. So viewers curious to see how the movies have portrayed Nelson Mandela — the lawyer, outlaw and convict who compelled the Boer government to give equal rights to its black majority — must forage through Netflix or Amazon.com for older films. Perhaps no other historical figure could have seen his screen self played so favorably, and by such distinguished actors: Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Terrence Howard, Idris Elba, Dennis Haysbert and, in a supporting role in the 2009 Endgame, Clarke Peters. The burden of Mandela movies is that almost all of them could be called 95 Years a Saint. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, 2013 Keith Bernstein / The Weinstein Company Invictus, 2009
Education in South Africa According to the Bill of Rights of South Africa's Constitution, all South Africans have the right to a basic education, including adult basic education and access to further education. The state has an obligation, through reasonable measures, to progressively make this education available and accessible. South Africa has one of the highest rates of public investment in education in the world. At about 7% of gross domestic product (GDP) and 20% of total state expenditure, the government spends more on education than on any other sector. Three bands of education South Africa's National Qualifications Framework (NQF) recognises three broad bands of education: General Education and Training, Further Education and Training, and Higher Education and Training. Structure and responsibilities Since 2009, the national Department of Education has been split into two ministries: Basic Education, and Higher Education and Training. School statistics Higher education and training Spending and challenges
Apartheid in South Africa Racial segregation in South Africa began in colonial times under Dutch rule.[6] Apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election of 1948. Legislation classified inhabitants into four racial groups, "black", "white", "coloured", and "Indian", with Indian and coloured divided into several sub-classifications,[7] and residential areas were segregated. From 1960 to 1983, 3.5 million non-white South Africans were removed from their homes, and forced into segregated neighbourhoods, in one of the largest mass removals in modern history.[8] Non-white political representation was abolished in 1970, and starting in that year black people were deprived of their citizenship, legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands called bantustans, four of which became nominally independent states. Precursors of apartheid[edit] In the days of slavery, slaves required passes to travel away from their masters. Institution of apartheid[edit]
South Africa Map / Geography of South Africa / Map of South Africa Archeologists report evidence that humans have inhabited Southern Africa for more than 100,000 years. Over many modern centuries assorted African tribes moved steadily south to populate the country we now call South Africa. Bantu peoples began migrating across sub-Saharan Africa from the Niger River Delta around 2,500 years ago, and arrived in South Africa in small waves setting up small villages. By 1200 AD a trade network emerged, and the premise of a sacred leadership took hold. However, it wasn't until 1652, a century and a half after the discovery of the Cape Sea Route, that the Dutch East India Company founded a station at what would later become Cape Town. The Dutch used the port primarily to transport slaves from India, Indonesia and Madagascar to be used as laborers for the colonists. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, Cape Town soon became a British colony. Since the end of apartheid, unemployment has been very high.
American civil rights movement American civil rights movement, March on WashingtonUPI/Bettmann/Corbismass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States that came to national prominence during the mid-1950s. This movement had its roots in the centuries-long efforts of African slaves and their descendants to resist racial oppression and abolish the institution of slavery. Although American slaves were emancipated as a result of the Civil War and were then granted basic civil rights through the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments to the U.S. Abolitionism to Jim Crow Declaration of IndependenceNational Archives, Washington, D.C.American history has been marked by persistent and determined efforts to expand the scope and inclusiveness of civil rights. As the United States expanded its boundaries, Native American peoples resisted conquest and absorption. Frederick Douglass became the most famous of the ex-slaves who joined the abolition movement. Du Bois to Brown
Primary History - Famous People - Nelson Mandela Home | Apartheid Museum White South Africa farmers march against murders Large demonstrations under the “Black Monday” banner were held in Cape Town, Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria. Marchers dressed in black to commemorate the victims of hundreds of deadly “farm attacks” in recent years. The protest actions halted traffic on main roads and forced police to divert vehicles on several major routes. Monday’s day of action was coordinated by AfriForum, a campaign group that advocates for its largely white membership, many of whom speak Afrikaans. It lobbies on issues including farm murders, hate speech and language rights, and is often critical of the African National Congress party, which has ruled South Africa for over two decades. The group said in a statement that there have been 72 farm murders this year. Its figures are disputed by officials in South Africa, where 52 people are murdered on average every day. “The government needs to recognise this isn’t ordinary crime,” AfriForum chief executive Karrie Kriel told AFP.
South Africa profile - overview South Africa has one of the continent's biggest and most developed economies. Up until 1994 it was ruled by a white minority which enforced a separation of races with its policy called apartheid. The apartheid government eventually negotiated itself out of power after decades of international isolation, armed opposition and mass protests. The democratically-elected leadership encouraged reconciliation and set about redressing social imbalances. Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring Population 50.7 million Area 1.22 million sq km (470,693 sq miles) Major languages 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu Religions Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs Life expectancy 53 years (men), 54 years (women) Currency Rand Getty Images President: Jacob Zuma Image copyright Getty Images The leader of the ruling African National Congress party, Jacob Zuma, was chosen president by the newly-elected parliament in May 2009.