School vouchers: IRR proposes radical shift to overhaul ailing education system

It’s no secret South Africa’s basic education system leaves much to be desired. The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) said the declining rates of early-grade literacy and numeracy levels among the poorest South Africans are primed for urgent intervention and is proposing a radical solution in the form of school vouchers.

WATCH: The IRR’s radical proposal

South Africa budgets at least R270 billion annually for basic education. But, in a country ravaged by corruption, the money allocated for education and school nutritional programmes is often squandered or stolen.

According to the report, the government spends roughly R16 000 annually per child, which the IRR proposes should instead be given to parents as vouchers per child.

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‘The power should be with parents’

By paying the monies directly to caregivers and parents, they will then have the power to choose where to educate their offspring.

The IRR’s researcher behind the proposal, Caiden Lang, says school vouchers will also incentivise public schools and teachers to deliver their mandate while penalising schools failing to show results.

Lang explained private and lower-fee schools operate as businesses which ensures a higher degree of accountability.

“If an independent school is not performing – if teachers continually abscond from work or do not produce the desired results – parents will withdraw their children, and the school will have to close,” Lang said.

School vouchers may also increase access to private schools because parents can use the voucher to contribute towards private school fees. Wealthier parents would also have the option of donating their children’s vouchers to pupils or schools in need.

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Countries that have adopted school vouchers

Models for a school voucher system can be seen in countries such as India, Pakistan, Chile, Colombia and some states in America.

Lang reports that some states in India are having success with school vouchers as is Colombia, Pakistan and Israel.

According to the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, South Africa’s grade 5s were placed 62nd out of 64 countries for maths and science, outranking Pakistan and the Philippines.

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American case study

In the United States, Michigan State University Professor of Education Policy Joshua Cowen found the country’s school voucher system had been broadened to subsidise private school tuition.

In an article published by Time Magazine, Cowen notes the US version of school vouchers had an “unambiguously negative impact”.

“In Arizona, more than 75% of initial voucher applicants had never been in public school — either because they were new kindergartners or already in private school before getting a voucher. That’s a problem because many voucher advocates market these plans as ways to improve educational opportunities for public school children.”

Cowen also reported that 41 voucher-system schools in Wisconsin have closed since the programme’s inception in the 1990s. Many of America’s private schools also didn’t accept school vouchers.

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Indian case study

A study into the effectiveness of the school voucher system in Andhra Pradesh, India, showed more promising results.

India has the largest educational system in the world, with 200 million children. Over 96% of primary school age children are enrolled, but less than 40 % can read at a second-grade level.

The study focused on 1 980 households across 180 villages in Andhra Pradesh that received the vouchers through a lottery system, which covered all school fees, textbooks and school uniforms.

But, it did not include transportation costs or an allowance to cover the free meal provided at government schools. 

Of the 1 980 households, 1 210 households used them. Pupils who received the voucher spent an average of 26 more minutes in school daily, and these households also did not increase expenditure on education.

But, crucially, the study found no significant differences in Telegu and math test scores among voucher winners. 

“While government schools spent 70% of instructional time on math, Telegu and English, these subjects accounted for less than 50% of instructional time in private schools.

“As private schools achieved similar results in math and Telegu with less instructional time and used the extra time to improve test scores in other subject areas, they were more productive than public schools,” according to researchers Karthik Muralidharan and Venkatesh Sundararaman.