South Africa
Background Information
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
World Bank income group
Upper middle income
Percent of population aged 10-24
25% (UNFPA, 2023)
Total primary school age population (both sexes)
7,940,229 (UIS, 2022)
Total secondary school age population (both sexes)
4,967,946 (UIS, 2022)
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 18 (% of women aged 20-24)
4%
Source: UNSDG , 2016
Adolescent birth rate (per 1,000 women ages 15-19)
41
Source: UN Human Development Reports , 2020
Percentage of women who ever experienced physical violence since age 15 (% of women 15-49)
19%
Source: DHS , 2016
Percentage of married women employed in the last 12 months (% of married or in-union women 15-49)
47%
Source: DHS , 2016
Education Snapshot Back to Top
Number of years of free primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks (Years)
12
Source: UIS , 2022
Percentage of upper secondary schools providing life skills-based HIV and sexuality education within the formal curriculum or as part of extra-curricular activities
No data available
Proportion of schools with access to single-sex basic sanitation facilities
No data available
Source: UIS
Women as a percentage of teachers in tertiary education
No data available
Men as a percentage of teachers in pre-primary education
No data available
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure % GDP spent on education
Source: UIS , 2021
Gender parity index for achievement in mathematics, by education level (ratio)
No data available
Gender parity index for achievement in reading, by education level (ratio)
No data available
Proportion of students at the end of primary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading
-
Female 62%
-
Male 53%
Female: UIS, 2013
Male: UIS, 2013
Proportion of students at the end of primary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in mathematics
-
Female 30%
-
Male 29%
Female: UIS, 2013
Male: UIS, 2013
Experiencing bullying in the last 12 months in lower secondary education
-
Female 96%
-
Male 95%
Female: UNESCO, 2019
Male: UNESCO, 2019
Youth not in education, employment or training
-
Female 34%
-
Male 31%
Female: ILO, 2022
Male: ILO, 2022
Completion rate
Primary school age
-
Female 98%
-
Male 95%
Female: UIS, 2016
Male: UIS, 2016
Lower secondary school age
-
Female 91%
-
Male 85%
Female: UIS, 2016
Male: UIS, 2016
Upper secondary school age
-
Female 52%
-
Male 45%
Female: UIS, 2016
Male: UIS, 2016
Out-of-school rate
Primary school
-
Female 1%
-
Male 1%
Female: UIS, 2016
Male: UIS, 2016
Lower secondary school
-
Female 4%
-
Male 5%
Female: UIS, 2016
Male: UIS, 2016
Upper secondary school
-
Female 17%
-
Male 15%
Female: UIS, 2016
Male: UIS, 2016
Legal Frameworks Back to Top
Presence of legislation on child protection, to prevent corporal punishment in schools
3
Limited protection from violence in educational institutions
Source: HerAtlas , 2019
Presence of legislation protecting the right to education without discrimination based on sex/gender
1
Does not enshrine right to education
Source: HerAtlas , 2019
Presence of legislation to protect and facilitate education of pregnant adolescent girls
2
No explicit protection of the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls
Source: HerAtlas , 2019
Existence of processes to support coordinated action on gender equality in and through education by ministries, civil society, youth organizations and other actors
Data coming soon!
Existence of systematic processes to review and update curricula and learning resources, with a view to eradicating gender stereotypes and promoting gender equality
Data coming soon!
Training on gender-responsive pedagogies is embedded in teacher training programmes
Data coming soon!
Programs Back to Top
Project/Program
Accelerated Learning Program
Project/Program
Building Education Systems of The Future
Project/Program
Community Action Plan
Funding Initiative/Portfolio
Community Grants Program
Project/Program
Cummins Technical Education for Communities
Project/Program
Educational Initiatives, India and South Africa
Funding Initiative/Portfolio
Education and Training
Project/Program
Education Endures: Room to Read’s Award-winning Literacy and Gender Equality Interventions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Advocacy Campaign/Project
Enough
Advocacy Campaign/Project
Gender Equity Initiative
Project/Program
Girls' Education Program (Room to Read)
Project/Program
Grassroot Soccer Curriculum
Project/Program
Mental health first aid training
Advocacy Campaign/Project
Safe to Learn
Project/Program
Schools for Africa
Project/Program
Science Library
Project/Program
Teacher Professional Development
Research Project/Report/Study
The Effect of COVID-19 on Education in Africa and its Implications for the Use of Technology: A Survey of the Experiences and Opinions of Educators and Technology Specialists
Research Project/Report/Study
The Impact of COVID-19 on Young Women
Project/Program
Unlocking Talent Through Technology
Project/Program
Women in STEM2D (WiSTEM2D)
Project/Program
Youth Clubs
Government Programs Back to Top
Project/Program
Adolescent Girls' Programming Community of Practice
Project/Program
Literacy Boost
Project/Program
DREAMS
Project/Program
The Gender-Responsive Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education (GRP4ECE) Toolkit
Network/Convening/Conference
Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ)
Transforming Education Summit National Statement of Commitment Back to Top
