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State of the Environment

 About the CMA
Education 
ISSUE:   The need to improve access to education opportunities to ensure appropriate skills development
Issue statement issue
There are disparities in facilities and standards in educational institutions across the CMA. For instance, most of the better-resourced public (and private) schools are concentrated in high income, former white areas. The situation is exacerbated by limited and declining resources.

 
What pressures are causing changes in the environment?pressure
Population growth and rapid urbanization places increasing pressure on existing under-resourced and under–staffed educational facilities, particularly in the metro south east. In addition, these schools, facilities and pupils are vulnerable to theft and arson. Pupils are also exposed to gangsterism and drug dealing in schools.

An unsafe, inefficient and costly transport system hampers access to schools and further constrains the education opportunities available to the urban poor.

The restructuring of the Western Cape Education Department and redistribution of national resources has necessitated the rationalisation and right-sizing of staff in schools. The resultant lack of funds and resources and loss of competent and motivated staff has negatively affected the quality of education in the CMA and constrained the ability to produce sufficient numbers and appropriately skilled people.

 
What is the state of the environment?state
The Western Cape Province has an adult literacy rate of 95%. Approximately 36% of the adult population of the CMA has achieved an education level above Grade 8 (or Standard 6), with the level being highest among the black population (60%).

There is an average of less than 0.5 schools per 1000 people. Largest sized schools are in the Mitchell’s Plain and Kuilsriver education districts placing higher pressure on existing resources.

90% of the education budget is spent on salaries, leaving very little available for improving education facilities and purchasing of books.

The CMA had the highest matric pass rate (76%) as well as the highest proportion of candidates who passed with a university exemption (31%).

The highest proportion of over enrollment (overage) occurs in Grades 11 and 12 in Kuilsriver, Athlone and Mitchell's Plain education districts. The Kuilsriver Area has the greatest percentage of overage students (22.5%).

The overall average pupil:teacher ratio is 29:1.

Currently 45% of the workforce is semi- and lowly skilled coupled with a mismatch of skills.

Of the 32 000 educational institutions found in South Africa, approximately 1772 are situated in the Western Cape Province, 39% in the CMA. The CMA has two universities and two technikons within its boundaries.

 
Year One Indicatorsindicator
The following indicators are monitored by the Provincial Department of Education:
  • Adult literacy rate (%).
  • Number of schools per 1000 people.
  • Pupil:Teacher Ratios.

See a summary of all Indicators on this website

 
What responses are we giving to the problem?response
The following responses are underway by the CMC:
  • The first Cape Metropolitan Festival of the Environment was held in February 1999. A key focus of the Festival is to raise environmental awareness amongst students. Twenty-two schools are participating in the development of a school environmental policy.
  • The CMC is also involved in a number of educational initiatives regarding catchment management, such as:
  • The development of outcome based education material to support teachers, learners and NGOs.
  • Capacity building among NGOs as part of Catchment Management Forums.
  • Supporting education and research in tertiary institutions.

Additional responses underway:

  • The Department of Education is undertaking a five-year Culture of Learning and Teaching Campaign launched in 1997. This campaign covers the entire education and training system. It incorporates Adult Basic Education and Training, Early Childhood Development, as well as schools and colleges
  • The National Schools Building Programme aims to ensure efficient or sustainable use of resources in the CMA such as the application of alternative energy systems, water saving devices, grey-water systems or rainwater collection systems in schools.

 
What can you do about it?you
  • Lobby your local Councillor to place the provision and improvement of basic services on your Council’s agenda.
  • If your drinking water comes from an informal source, treat it before consuming it e.g. through filtration, boiling and chlorination.
  • Get involved in neighbourhood clean up campaigns.
  • Do not make fires in confined, poorly ventilated spaces.
  • Do not swim or wash in stagnant water or urban canals.
  • Do not allow your children to play on waste sites.
  • Do not build your house in the flood plain of a river or on unstable, steep slopes.
  • Be aware of the symptoms of Tuberculosis and Meningococcal Meningitis and encourage people who show signs of having these diseases to undergo tests and treatment.