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Focus Areas

RESEP developed around a long-term research focus on issues of poverty, income distribution, social mobility, economic development and social policy. However, content such as research publications, working papers, or policy briefs is generally categorised under our four areas, namely Education, Health, Labour or Development.

Public Expenditure on Education in South Africa, 1987/8 to 1991/2: An Analysis of the Data

This document, “Public Expenditure on Education in South Africa, 1987/8 to 1991/2: An Analysis of the Data,” provides a comprehensive review of government spending on education over a crucial five-year period. It meticulously examines the allocation and utilisation of funds within the South African education sector, offering insights into the financial priorities and policy decisions during this time.

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July 5, 2024 By: Peter Buckland and John Fielden PDF

National Education Policy Investigation: Education Planning, Systems, and Structure

This Report focuses on education and training systems and the structure of schooling. Aspects of education planning, finance, and management are discussed in both this and the separate report on Governance, and there are various aspects of the organisation of education discussed below which are specific concerns of other research group reports.

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July 5, 2024 By: Andrew Donaldson and Linda Chisholm PDF

Assessment matters: What can we understand about the National Senior Certificate results during COVID-19 from university entrance exams?

In this research note, Emma Whitelaw and Nicola Branson from the University of Cape Town (UCT), examine the association between National Senior Certificate (NSC) performance and National Benchmark Test (NBT) scores among applicants to UCT. They find that during COVID-19 disrupted years, applicants’ admission point scores, derived from NSC grades, rose relative to NBT scores which remained similar since the onset of COVID-19.

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May 25, 2024 By: Emma Whitelaw and Nicola Branson PDF

COVID-19 and inequality in reading outcomes in South Africa: PIRLS 2016 and 2021

In this Covid-Generation working paper, Bianca Böhmer and Gabrielle Wills contribute new evidence on pandemic effects on reading scores and inequalities in reading in South Africa through an in-depth analysis of data from the 2016 and 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) – a Grade 4 reading comprehension assessment.

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December 23, 2023 By: Bianca Böhmer and Gabrielle Wills PDF

What rich new education data can tell us

This report leverages data mainly derived from the South African School Administration Management System (SA-SAMS), including a unique longitudinal version of the Data Driven Districts (DDD) data for three provinces as well as the Learner Unit Record Information Tracking System (Lurits) data and National Senior Certificate (matric) examination data to analyse the dynamics of the South African education system in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. It provides a detailed analysis of learner flows, assessment strategies, and teacher dynamics, offering valuable insights for policymakers and educational stakeholders and illustrating how such data can be used in education policy and planning.

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December 22, 2023 By: Servaas van der Berg, Chris van Wyk, Martin Gustafsson, Herman Meyer, Abigail Chari, Chloé van Biljon, Adaiah Lilenstein, Rebecca Selkirk & Jessica McCallum PDF