Reconstructing rural education: Planning for equal access to rural schools in the North West Province

Abstract

The eighteen former apartheid education departments in South Africa now fall under the authority of a single ministry. However, the full integration of various education authorities at the district and local levels within a unified delivery system that maximises non‐racial access to rural schools, has yet to be accomplished. A study was initiated in the rural Marico and Lehurutshe regions of the North West Province to investigate how equitable access to rural schools on a non‐racial basis could be achieved, and to identify practical constraints on systems of delivery. Over 100 schools in the study area were mapped using Geographical Information Systems technology. It is clear that the characteristics of the education system inherited from the apartheid past will impede the reconstruction of rural education. In order to plan accurately for compulsory schooling, planners will need more detailed population data on out‐of‐school students. They will also have to take into account local geographical features and economic growth nodes near which schools may be placed in order to maximise efficiency and accessibility.

Notes

Thanks to Erika Lemmer for research assistance, and to Clive Makhate and Marco Zini for technical support. This article has benefited from discussion with Peter Badcock‐Walters, Dulcie Krige, Sandy Dove, Andrew Donaldson, James Drummond and Johan Graaff. The use of GIS equipment in the Geography Department, University of the North West, and financial assistance from the University are gratefully acknowledged.

Foundations of Education, University of the North West; Department of Geography, University of the Witwatersrand; and Institute of African Studies, University of the North West.