The Post-2015 development agenda in South Africa Peliwe Lolwana

1. The Post-2015 development agenda in South Africa Peliwe Lolwana Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL) University of Witwatersrand

2. Presentation outline • South Africa’s involvement • MDGs and the country’s education agenda • A Post-2015 agenda for South Africa • The Government’s initiative • 5. Priorities in South Africa • 6. Conclusion

3. 1. The development of the Post- 2015 Agenda • The secrecy and non-transparency of the process • A big Tsunami in the North and a small ripple in the South (King & Palmer, October, 2013) • The Aid - NGO connection and the Post-2015 Agenda. • The absence and low profile of the big NGOs in South African education scene • The MDG agenda as a schooling issue and the silence on Skills Development as well as Higher Education

4. 2. MDGs and the country’s education agenda • Access and quality education priorities at start of the new government • Like the post-2015 agenda, RSA has been marginally involved • Issues of access have been important to the new government irrespective of MDGs and access to basic education has been universalised (8 years of schooling) a long time ago • Quality and Equity are issues to be taken forward to the post-2015 agenda by the country

5. 3. A Post-2015 agenda for South Africa • Realising that the Post 2015 agenda speaks to Education and Training through Goals 3 and 8; • Realising that SA has a bulging population of young people outside of education, training and employment; • Realising that education and training does not translate to employment; • Realising the interactive impact of Education; Dwellings and Employment on Poverty • Realising the intractable problem of spatial inequalities in our society and how this plays out in education and skills developmet

6. 4. The Government’s initiative • Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Foreign Affairs) workshop in September 2013 –coordinating various departments’ responses • Department of Higher Education and Training coordinating the Skills Development and Higher Education responses through inputs by a small group • No wider discussion in the country still. Doubtful if government is doing any work further in Post-2015 agenda

7. 4. The Government’s initiative • Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Foreign Affairs) workshop in September 2013 –coordinating various departments’ responses • Department of Higher Education and Training coordinating the Skills Development and Higher Education responses through inputs by a small group • No wider discussion in the country still. Doubtful if government is doing any work further in Post-2015 agenda

8. 5. Priorities in South Africa • The inequalities in accessing and succeeding in post-school institutions in the country is a problem • Transition of young people to meaningful participation in society is a large problem and still race based • Problems in establishing a meaningful skills system: • A skills system is about understanding the skills demand; establishing an appropriate skills development and deployment systems

9. Priorities in South Africa • 4. Absence of a system of moving large individuals from elementary jobs up the ladder of occupations. • 5. Difficulty in redistributing the spending of income from the fiscus to serve social and economic purpose as well as support economic growth at family levels

10. 4. Conclusion • It is important to engage in the global debate about MDGs but can never drive the developmental agenda of the country • It is important to understand where we will be as country at the end of the MDG 2s and build on this momentum • Perhaps South Africa should focus on addressing its priorities first and the post-2015 agenda will take care of itself.