Human Rights Day commemorates the struggle of the South African people for democracy as well as for economic and racial equality. While the country has made enormous strides in providing access to schooling, with 98.8% of children aged seven to 14 enrolled in schools, providing democratic access to quality education remains a challenge. Since South Africa emerged as a democracy in 1994, the fight for equality has persisted largely owing to factors such as economic disparities and issues such as lack of resources and infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms and ill-equipped teachers in some communities, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

As South Africa enters its 30th year of democracy, we need to readdress how we look at the challenges facing education and start making concrete steps towards quality benchmarks for our students

Broadened access to education in South Africa remains fundamental to equality

Guest: Dr Corrin Varady, CEO of IDEA