Education System
The three bands of education recognised by South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework (NQF) are: General Education and Training, Further Education and Training and Higher Education and Training. South African law stipulates that education is compulsory for all South Africans from the age of seven (grade 1) to fifteen (grade 9) which covers General Education and Training. This band of education also includes Adult Basic Education and Training.
Primary school education runs from grade 0 to grade 6 with secondary school covering grades 7 through 12. Once completed students can then decide whether to complete Higher Education and Training at one of the 24 state-funded higher education institutions (11 universities, five universities of technology, and six comprehensive institutions). There are currently over 1 million students enrolled in higher education.
The South African government invests around 20% of its annual expenditure in education which is one of the highest rates of government investment in education in the world.
