Basic condition of schooling

This research is specifically directed at the examination and analysis of the conditions affecting all public schools in South Africa’s education system. These schools are overwhelmingly situated in the communities of the rural and urban poor, and are populated by the children of communities that are the most socially disadvantaged. The assumption of the project is that unless the educational challenges facing these schools are resolved, educational opportunities for the majority of the population will remain unchanged. It is therefore imperative that policy and practice concentrate on these schools and communities that constitute the actual norm in our society.

The research articles articles based on this study report, namely:

   What education, development and support is available for teachers who have to teach more than one grade in the same classroom (multigrade teaching); and

  The importance of community participation in school affairs,

are presented on the following HSRC Review articles:

• Education, development and support for multigrade teachers
• Mobilising communities
• Improving the effectiveness of our schools
• Teachers's mathematical knowledge