Polity.org discussed the differences between the education systems in South African and Botswana, as set out in the book The Low Achievement Trap: Comparing Schools in Botswana and South Africa, edited by Martin Carnoy, Linda Chisholm and Bagela Chilisa.
Some of the findings in the book point to a historical flaw in South Africa’s education system, which directly links to low achievement in its schools. When the researchers looked at Botswana, they found that years of stability both economically and politically had understandably led to higher achievement in primary schools, but that maths literacy was still a problem and that the country could do better in this area, and focus on learners producing higher levels of knowledge.
International tests measuring student performance tend to focus obsessively on high-scoring countries such as Finland, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. While it’s fascinating to observe their education systems, the reality is that they have little relevance for most lower-income developing couhtries. It makes much more sense for countries with similar resources to compare and work out why some schooling systems do better than others.
Book details
- The Low Achievement Trap: Comparing Schools in Botswana and South Africa edited by Martin Carnoy, Linda Chisholm, Bagela Chilisa
Book homepage
EAN: 9780796923684
Find this book with BOOK Finder!