| South Africa has for many years been known as a country institutionalized by race. This study examines education in post-apartheid South Africa. The argument is made that the future content of an educational policy aimed at quantitative and qualitative development should take consideration of issues internal and external to the educational system, different dimensions of an educational system, and issues at different levels of education.;The discussion in this study is framed within a political economy framework. Such an approach sees education's role as serving three notions, namely holistic-systematic, reproductive and traditional. All policies are long-term in nature with the ultimate objective the equalization of education. The long-term nature of policies means that the equalization of education will result in the reproduction of dominant and subordinate classes in South Africa, since not all people can readily have access to the same educational opportunities.;Acknowledgment is given to the low motivational levels among Blacks as a constraint to educational equalization. The argument is also made that job creation efforts in the Bantustans and underdeveloped regions should accompany the educational development of South Africa Blacks.;This study concludes that the future educational debate in South Africa will continue to be a controversial matter. To move to long-term equality, South African educational studies need to be more multi-disciplinary in nature. A positive relationship between investment in education and economic development requires a closer analysis of available market opportunities, demand conditions and the distribution of income. The availability of reliable labour market information is a precondition for such an analysis. |
