KENNET SCHOOL TAKEOVER Contrast between countries

by Amy Dundas and Lauren Lydford

Contrast Between Countries

By Amy Dundas and Lauren Lydford

As we already know, South Africa and England have always been two completely different countries, with different morals and views on society. Evidence to support this is simply the segregated cultures (South Africa) and the more inclusive aspect in schools (England) which clearly was not present in South African schooling.

The nurturing ideals of British schools first came in to play when corporal punishment was abolished in 1986. By definition, Corporal punishment refers to teachers causing discomfort or in some cases, deliberate pain. After these cruel, inhumane acts were finally put to an end, children truly began to be nurtured by the education system in England. It was ten years later South Africa finally caught up and in 1996 abolished Corporal Punishment. This was seen as a step closer to a more ‘just’ society in South Africa. Our question is, does this method of a less nurturing environment work as well?

A simple way to judge this could be to look at results from English A-Levels to South African Matriculation. In 2015, the pass rate for Matriculation was 73%, and the pass rate for A-Levels was 77%. Even though there is only a small gap between the two figures, it still suggests that the English method of teaching could be better. On the other hand, it does show that South Africa is slowly, but surely realising their possible gaps in teaching and filling in those gaps. If this proves that English schools are constantly changing their methods of teaching (possibly meaning a better school education for your children!).

To summarise, South Africa is changing their methods of teaching to become more nurturing. In our opinion this is a positive move in the right direction, as we can see that the nurturing method can have an impact on final grades. This could also possibly lead to a more educated society.