SA is a signatory to various international protocols. One of the most recent, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), addresses extreme poverty in its many dimensions and, in particular, SDG 4: Quality Education, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” (UN, 2015, p.21). The Framework for Action (UNESCO, 2015a) further prioritises inclusion and equity in and through education by improving education policies and the way they work together.

The country is committed to these principles, as addressed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, which provide for education as a right not a privilege. In line with these principles the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has undertaken many and varied pro-poor initiatives aimed at promoting equity by improving access to basic education and the quality of education in previously disadvantaged schools, including rural schools (Department of Basic Education, Action Plan to 2019: Towards the Realisation of Schooling 2030). Progress towards achieving these goals is even, not only compromised by continuing high levels of poverty in the most disadvantaged communities, but also due to poor implementation. Schools in rural areas are amongst the worst affected across SA as indicated by poor performance levels and inefficiencies in the delivery of basic facilities and services. Consequently it is crucial to examine policy and programme gaps that retard performance across all phases of education in rural areas – from ECD to tertiary education. 

In an effort to improve the quality of education in rural schools, the Minister of Basic Education appointed a Rural Education Research Team to develop a Rural Education Policy. The stated purpose of the new policy will be to reflect the realities in rural schools and give guidance to the development of contextspecific and sustainable interventions for these schools. This would no longer adopt generalised pro-poor ‘one size fits all’ interventions included in most post1994 school legislation but would instead consider interventions tailor made for rural schools. 

The findings of the research and consultative process inform the analysis and policy recommendations made in this report. These grapple with an existing but often ignored paradox regarding rural schools: On one hand, there is a view that rural education, defined by geography (spatial distribution) and deprivation, is a signifier of poor performance in the schooling system. On the other hand, a second view highlights the assets that exist in rural communities and which can be harnessed to enrich teaching and learning in rural schools. Thus, the report recognises the role of the community and sense of belonging (both to the community and the school) and connectedness among stakeholders. The conceptual framework developed to guide the research is based on the principle that risks and constraints, often described in deficit terminology, are balanced in a dynamic tension with opportunities arising from a confluence of particular resources within each particular place. Rural communities, teachers and learners are to participate in school affairs in partnership with national, provincial and district officials who play a vital role in initiating and facilitating policy implementation. 

The recommendations also recognise that educational access and success in one phase are interlinked with similar outcomes across the system – ECD, Basic Education (GET and FET) and Higher Education and Training - and that poor educational outcomes in any one phase hinder access to and performance in the next phase. Consequently, although this report considers the GET and FET phases, it recognises that reform of rural education depends on a holistic view of transformation where education mediates development. 

This overview report summarises the findings of the research processes undertaken by the Rural Education Research Team. In addition to a desktop study of rural education issues and best practice responses from international literature, the report takes account of the following:

• Inputs made by stakeholders represented on the Reference Team;

• Inputs made by stakeholders in the Rural Education Consultative Forum;

• Discussions arising from bilateral meetings with all teacher unions (NATU, NAPTOSA, PEU, SADTU and SAOU); and

• Information obtained during the provincial visits to the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Limpopo. During these visits members of the Rural Education Research Team met provincial officials, traditional and community leaders, parents, principals, teachers and learners.