Education
Education in Africa - Of all regions, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion. Over one-fifth of children between the ages of about 6 and 11 are out of school, followed by one-third of youth between the ages of about 12 and 14. According to UIS data, almost 60% of youth between the ages of about 15 and 17 are not in school.
The South African education system, characterized by crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms and relatively poor educational outcomes, is perpetuating inequality and as a result failing too many of its children, with the poor hardest hit according to the latest report published by Amnesty International
Students in South Africa often face challenges in the areas of mathematics and science. One explanation for this issue is that 25 percent of secondary schools do not offer math classes for grades 10 through 12.
Healthy Lifestyles
The proposal for national health insurance (NHI) is part of a welcome resurgence in public discourse about poverty, health and access to health services in South Africa.
Despite certain areas of progress in the country since 1994, disparities in wealth and health are among the widest in the world.
In 2008, for example, 54% of South Africans had an income below $3/day. The top 10% of South Africans account for 58% of annual national personal income, while the balance of 70% received a mere 16.9%.
The Gini co-efficient, a measure of income inequality, increased from 0.6 in 1995 to 0.679 in 2009
Before placing too much confidence in the notion that expanding access to bio-medical healthcare through NHI is the solution to narrowing the health gap, the broader social context for achieving greater equity in health outcomes must be considered.
The social circumstances influencing health begin with the physical, mental and nutritional states of women during pregnancy and childbirth and continue throughout life. Care of infants, education and nurturing of children, opportunities for further study during adolescence, and access to rewarding work are all enhanced by maternal literacy, as demonstrated in some poor countries with high levels of female literacy.
Access to adequate nutrition, clean water, sanitation, housing and basic healthcare is essential.
Personal living habits provide individuals with the ability to predispose to, or be protected against, poor health.
Volunteering
