The South African education system is large and complicated, with 26,000 schools, 400,000 teachers, and 13 million learners. Public education spending constitutes 6.6% of GDP. However, less than 10% of schools participate in school sports. The Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture accounted for 2.97% of GDP in 20211. It goes without saying that sport would more or less account for a percent of the share in GDP.
It is clear that we failing many learners by denying them access to participate in sport. We simply have not begun the exploration process of finding diamonds in the rough. Moreover, the school sport can deliver significant impact within our communities, building an inclusive society that values a holistic education and contribute towards employment.
School sports are the largest reservoir of talent and it is important to understand the structure that underpins the formation of school sport. I will briefly outline the school sport pillars that are essential to unlock mass participation within public schools. And then I will provide an anecdotal experience of my life in sport and contrast that with what I see today.
School Sport Structure
The reality is that much of what we need to make school sports thrive already exists. However, there’s inadequate understanding of how government operates even amongst government officials. This leads to poor cooperation and synchronization amongst the necessary departments. The point of departure is understanding that as per the constitution ‘every person – child, youth and adult – shall be able to benefit from educational opportunities designed to meet their basic learning needs.2’ This right I would argue includes sport. As such, a functional school sport eco-system hinges on cooperation of different government departments thus enabling them to work in sync, and not in silos. Here are the government departments responsible for delivering school sport in South Africa:
The Department of Sport, Arts & Culture (DSAC)
The Department of Education
The Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI)
Now, what is the relationship between these three departments? Firstly, the department of education is responsible for the provision, delivery and performance of education. Secondly, DSAC is tasked with providing leadership to transform and have oversight on the development and management of sport, arts and culture. And to legislate sports participation and infrastructure. Thirdly, DPWI owns all the school buildings (property) and as such is responsible for the building and maintenance of facilities.
Here is where things get sticky, teachers normally focus on delivering the curriculum and no more. The DPWI is supposed to build and maintain sport facilities because it owns and manages government properties. On the other hand, the DSAC should be supplying the funding for coaches; and delivering sport programs into all schools in a partnership with sports bodies and schools. However, given the lack of sport programs and coaches in schools it is clear that DSAC is not fulfilling its constitutional mandate to provide educational opportunities through sport. In addition, the lack coordination between DSAC and DPWI has resulted in almost half South Africa’s public schools having no sports facilities. These challenges are compounded by rampant corruption and looting of state funds.
To be fair the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) is also partially to blame for blocking teachers from participating in sport administration and coaching. The basic education department and DSAC have been struggling to sign Memorandum of Agreement for more than 3 years according to enhance data collection, for example3.
My School Sport Journey
I started playing sport in the township in Meadowlands, Soweto. I was famously known as 16V until I begin playing cricket in a township school. During those days cricket was administered and coached by our teachers, together with former cricketers as technical coaches delivering the cricket programs at least 3 times a week. Cricket, and sport in general, was vibrant in Soweto. I cut my teeth in junior cricket dominating surrounding schools, then regional cricket and then represented Soweto. Four years later, I got a bursary to private school at the age of 11.
When I got to the private school, I was exposed to a similar model of coaching where teachers were administrators and coaches, supported by external coaches. Therefore, the cricket eco-system was vibrant both across the public and private schools. I believe it was the strong foundation of the public-school sport that gave me a solid platform to be scouted. Today, that hope that has been eroded for many learners.
In other words, the education was fundamentally about training the mind, body and soul both in both public and private schools.
What’s the Status Quo
Today if you take a driver around the townships there’s no sport activities taking place during the week or weekends. Teenagers are roaming the streets aimlessly without any extra-curriculum activities that form an important part of their holistic educational development.
However, if on the same day you have enough petrol to drive to the suburbs, you will find kids in schools playing all kinds of sport activities. As a result, on weekends parents are out and about watching their kids on the field of play whether its Wednesday or Saturday school sport. In contrast, parents in the townships are nowhere near sporting activities on weekends, with their children exposed to all kinds of social maladies.
It is my submission that based on the above that public school sport particularly in the township and rural areas is on its knees; and private and model C schools have become the backbone of sport in this country. We need to desperately turn the current state of affairs around to build a more competitive sport industry and to enable the best talent to emerge from all walks of life. Otherwise, our sport will continue to spiral downward.
Sources: https://mg.co.za/education/2021-10-03-the-true-state-of-our-schools/
https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/35765/#:~:text=39%20billion%2C%20which%20accounted%20for,2.97%25%20of%20South%20Africa's%20GDP.
https://section27.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Chapter-1.pdf
https://www.iol.co.za/sport/dismal-statistics-on-school-sport-epg-report-49084103