Lessons learnt from SACMEQII: South African student performance in regional context

Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP16/2007
 
Publication date: 2007
 
Author(s):
[protected email address] (Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University)
[protected email address] (Department of Economics, Stellenbosch University)
 
Abstract:

In regional context, South African students benefit from above average levels of public and private education resources. However, their performance on international tests – including SACMEQII (Southern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality, 2000) – is extremely weak. The first part of the paper positions South Africa within southern and eastern Africa on the basis of SACMEQII Grade 6 mathematics test scores. Hierarchical linear modelling techniques are then employed to model the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and schooling in this highly unequal country. Three important drivers of inequity in test scores emerge: principal concern with monitoring student progress, teacher absenteeism and teacher quality. These interact with SES to give richer students a strong advantage.

 
JEL Classification:

I21

Keywords:

education quality, inequality, South Africa, Southern Africa, Hierarchical Linear Modelling

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8 Nov 2024
Donald Trump convincingly won the US presidential election. It was not nearly as close as most pollsters and number crunchers had expected, with Trump even winning the popular vote. Flying under the radar of the US election was the effective collapse of the German coalition government, with a snap election possible in March. Meanwhile, on the monetary...

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