Speaking in PSG’s latest Think Big webinar, de Vos noted inequality that exists within South Africa’s education system is not only a problem that affects and concerns the poor but has far-reaching effects on every segment of society.
He argues that the problem that lies at the heart of the South African education system is not one of ‘quality’ but one of ‘inequality”. De Vos made reference to the growing chasm that exists between the education system that serves the South African middle-class and the experience of poor communities.
He noted that the government’s move to introduce specialist subjects such as agriculture and maritime studies into the national curriculum is a step in the right direction in addressing this. For De Vos, the notion of inequality also applies to the hierarchical way of thinking that values academic knowledge over pragmatic application. He said that academic proficiency is just one part of what education represents.