SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH OVERVIEW
(Download this overview as a PDF)

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population: 43,586,097 (Ranked 26th in the world by the US Census Bureau). Population density: 92 per square mile. Youth 15-24: 18%—8,806,800. Teenage 10-19: 21.6 %—9,393,491. Children 0-14: 32%—13,952,198. Seniors Over 70: 3%—1,303,196. Male to female ratio: 93.7/100. Birth rate: 21.56 per 1000 people. Life expectancy at birth: 51.84 for males, 56.03 for females. Infant mortality rate: 51.95 per 1000 live births.

EDUCATION

Planning and coordination for education in South Africa is handled by the Department of Education. Information about this department can be found at http://education.pwv.gov.za/

According to the latest figures, there were 4,600 pre-primary schools in South Africa (with an enrollment of 329,000), and almost 21,000 primary schools (with an enrollment of 8.2 million).

Higher education is under the auspices of the Council of Higher Education, an independent statutory body who seeks to improve the quality, responsiveness, equity, and effective and efficient provision and management of higher education. More information is available at http://education.pwv.gov.za/CHE/default.htm

A list of some of the universities and technical schools in South Africa can be found at http://www.accrediting.com/southafricauniversities.htm

ISSUES

Major issues, according to the South Africa Department of Education, include illiteracy, the physical condition of schools across the country, the quality of the country’s teachers and dealing with HIV and AIDS in and through the educational system. AIDS/HIV is considered the most pressing issue. The Department of Education seeks to minimize the impact of AIDS/HIV on the educational system. Though there are no cases of infection occurring in a school, there are carriers in schools. Education about AIDS and how to prevent infection are a major part of the curriculum.

SOURCES

UNESCO Statistics Division.

US Central Intelligence Agency. World Factbook.

Freedom House