Assessment of the factors associated with secondary school attendance and completion in South Africa: A demographic perspective
type: CreativeWork
description: Education is prioritised globally because it is key to driving socioeconomic development. While school participation at the basic education level (Grades 1-9) has been almost universal in South Africa, there are still gaps in the level of schooling for the upper secondary level. Consequently, a substantial proportion of the population does not complete secondary education, thereby inhibiting human capital formation. Optimising learners’ participation, progression, and the completion of educational training is a vital economic strategy. This study assesses the level of school attendance for upper-secondary school learners and school completion in South Africa. It also explores the sociodemographic factors associated with school attendance and school completion. South Africa is situated at the southern tip of the African continent. According to the 2022 census, its population was estimated to be over 62 million people, with a growth rate of 1.8% from 2011 to 2022. Females made up 51.5% of the population, while males accounted for 48.5%. Children and youths below 24 years made up about half of the entire population. There are four major racial groups which constitute the demographic composition. The Black or African racial group originates from the indigenous Bantu people and represents the predominant demographic, making up over 80% of the population. This is followed by the Coloured racial group, which made up about 8% of the population. They are the mixed descendants of the earliest European/Asian settlers and the indigenous African people.
abstract: Education is prioritised globally because it is key to driving socioeconomic development. While school participation at the basic education level (Grades 1-9) has been almost universal in South Africa, there are still gaps in the level of schooling for the upper secondary level. Consequently, a substantial proportion of the population does not complete secondary education, thereby inhibiting human capital formation. Optimising learners’ participation, progression, and the completion of educational training is a vital economic strategy. This study assesses the level of school attendance for upper-secondary school learners and school completion in South Africa. It also explores the sociodemographic factors associated with school attendance and school completion. South Africa is situated at the southern tip of the African continent. According to the 2022 census, its population was estimated to be over 62 million people, with a growth rate of 1.8% from 2011 to 2022. Females made up 51.5% of the population, while males accounted for 48.5%. Children and youths below 24 years made up about half of the entire population. There are four major racial groups which constitute the demographic composition. The Black or African racial group originates from the indigenous Bantu people and represents the predominant demographic, making up over 80% of the population. This is followed by the Coloured racial group, which made up about 8% of the population. They are the mixed descendants of the earliest European/Asian settlers and the indigenous African people.
author: Showers, Viome Amakuro
keywords: Educational attainment, Enrolment in educational institutions, Educational indicators, Drop-out, Basic education
license: https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/bitstreams/38eea88d-9e6c-46e0-a710-598ff1bbc8ad/download
date published: 2025
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:00:34Z
provider: University of the Western Cape
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of the Western Cape