Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has embarked on extensive reforms aimed
at promoting social cohesion, including progressive educational finance policy
(e.g., the no-fee school policy) intended to redress historical inequalities. Because
improving equality in and through education is vital to social cohesion, this case
study examines whether the no-fee school policy has equalized—or is perceived to
have equalized—school resources and educational opportunities in basic education.
Using a mixed-methods approach that draws on household and school survey data
and in-depth interviews, we find that the no-fee school policy has reduced the
financial burden on black South Africans but that wide gaps in school resources
remain. Moreover, we find that the concentration of black students in schools in
the poorest areas and of white students in schools in the wealthiest areas rose
between 2003 and 2013, and that some black South Africans are dissatisfied with
their poor access to elite schools and the superior educational opportunities they
offer. Our study argues that South Africa’s current school finance policies may be
better characterized as pro-poor than redistributive, and points to implications
for social cohesion.