Overview of Education System
The National Department of Basic Education oversees the South African schooling system. The Minister of Basic Education and her Deputy Minister head the department and are supported by the Director General, who oversees departmental management. In addition, each of South Africa’s nine provinces has a provincial head of education. Each province, in turn, is divided into districts, and district managers report to these provincial heads, while school principals report to the district managers. Education provision and delivery is largely a provincial responsibility, and district offices provide support and advice directly to schools, particularly regarding curriculum. Following the official adoption of the Interim Constitution in 1994, attempts were made to decentralize education decision making. However, problems were encountered with education standards and examination quality when managed provincially; consequently, the government decided to centralize the examination system, including all school exit examinations.
Under the South African Schools Act of 1996, schooling is compulsory from ages 7 to 15. The Department of Basic Education in 2014 started introducing a “reception year” (Grade R) in government primary schools to reduce the disadvantages of students coming from different backgrounds when they start Grade 1. The department intended for all government primary schools to offer reception year by 2019 and for Grade R to become a compulsory year of schooling. Primary schools in South Africa comprise Grades 1 to 7 (ages 6 to 13), and secondary schools include Grades 8 to 12 (ages 14 to 18). There are, however, middle schools in some provinces offering Grades 7 to 9. Early childhood development also forms part of the education system, though not all students have access or the funds to these development centers. The structure of compulsory schooling provision in South Africa is presented in Exhibit 1.
Exhibit 1: Structure of Compulsory Education in South Africa
| Phase | Grades | Ages | Status of Education | School Level |
| Preprimary | — | 4–5 | Not compulsory | Preprimary |
| Foundation | R | 5–6 | To be compulsory by 2019 | Primary |
| 1–3 | 7–9 | Compulsory | Primary | |
| Intermediate | 4–6 | 10‑12 | Compulsory | Primary |
| Senior | 7–9 | 13‑15 | Compulsory | Primary (to Grade 7) Secondary (Grades 8–9) |
In 2013, there were 12.8 million students taught by 447,149 teachers in 30,027 South African schools. Only 4 percent (513,804) of those students were in independent schools taught by 33,194 teachers in 1,584 schools.4