At the time of South Africa?s transition to democracy the school system was envisaged to be a
powerful vehicle for nation-building and transformation. The chronic low performance of the
South African school system has subsequently become the subject of widespread public concern.
This thesis examines the distribution of cognitive achievement amongst South African children
and the factors influencing it, especially socio-economic status, and asks what the implications of
this are for future economic development. The methodologies employed are predominantly
quantitative as various sources of data are examined in order to collect evidence pertaining to the
question above.
Chapter 1 lays down a conceptual framework for understanding the role of schooling in
economic development. The point is made that although education is often envisaged as a
vehicle for development and mobility out of poverty, the home socio-economic status of
children impacts significantly on their educational outcomes. Chapter 2 reviews recent and
relevant literature to establish main currents of thinking regarding the influence of socioeconomic
status on educational outcomes. Chapter 3 follows this with an empirical examination
of the influence of socio-economic status on reading achievement amongst South African
children. The results indicate that the relationship between socio-economic status and
educational achievement in South Africa is particularly strong by international standards.
Furthermore, the historical divisions within the school system remain key to understanding
continuing inequalities in educational outcomes. The socio-economic status of students is
crucial in determining which part of the school system students enter; then for those entering the
historically disadvantaged system the chances of achieving high quality educational outcomes are
small, regardless of their home background