“I like the dreams of the future better
than the history of the past.”
Thomas Jefferson
“I like the dreams of the future better
than the history of the past.”
Thomas Jefferson
“I like the dreams of the
future better than the history of the past.”
Thomas Jefferson
Why education?
Despite more than two decades of democracy, stark inequalities still exist across South Africa. This is exemplified nowhere more acutely than in the education system – one of the most unequal in the world – which persistently mirrors the socio-economic inequalities that plague this beautiful country.
And yet, it is education itself that holds the key to reducing the widespread poverty deep-rooted in modern South Africa.
Empowerment through education
By some measures, the South African government has made relative progress since 1995. Access to education plus participation and completion rates have increased, though admittedly from a very low base. However, the right to an education is more than simply access; inherent in this right is a quality education. We need to look beyond enrolment and to enrichment. And it is this, an accessible, quality education that evades most South African children.
The standard of education received by learners varies widely between government and private schools. Year after year, the government is failing to reach its own targets in closing this gap and improving all aspects of a child’s education. A lack of basic facilities, transport, poor sanitation, crumbling and unsafe infrastructure, an insufficient number of trained teachers, too many overcrowded classrooms and poor educational outcomes, all add up to the woeful reality of our public schools.
How can it be that in today’s South Africa the quality of the education a child receives is still shaped by the colour of their skin? Changing the experiences of our learners and improving their educational outcome has to be a priority. We cannot continue to allow South African children to pay the price of the country’s past with their dignity and future.
Empowerment through education
By some measures, government has made relative progress since 1995. Access to education plus participation and completion rates have increased, though admittedly from a very low base. However, the right to an education is more than simply access; inherent in this right is a quality education. We need to look beyond enrolment and to enrichment. And it is this, an accessible, quality education that evades most South African children.
The standard of education received by learners varies widely between government and private schools. Year after year, government is failing to reach its own targets in closing this gap and improving all aspects of a child’s education. A lack of basic facilities, transport, poor sanitation, crumbling and unsafe infrastructure, an insufficient number of trained teachers, too many overcrowded classrooms and poor educational outcomes, all add up to the woeful reality of our public schools.
How can it be that in today’s South Africa the quality of the education a child receives is still shaped by the colour of their skin? Changing the experiences of our learners and improving their educational outcome has to be a priority. We cannot continue to allow our children to pay the price of South Africa’s past with their dignity and future.
Statistics
For every 100 grade 4 learners (8 – 9yrs)
only 25 can read for meaning
7 in 10
learners drop out before
taking matric
%
of public school learners rely on school
FEEDING SCHEMES
2.4 million
learners walk more than
3 km
to get an education
Only 3% of grade 9s (13 – 14yrs) score over 50% in mathematics
SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
%
No laboratory
%
No library
%
No internet
%
No running water
%
Use pit latrines
%
No sports facilities
RSA Founders’ statement
Bright Start was founded in South Africa by mother and daughter team, Sally and Sharon. They share their story with us:
Living in Hout Bay, an affluent suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, it’s difficult to ignore the stark inequalities on the door step. Here there are daily struggles in the townships – a place where life exists on survival, desperation and tragedy, and where the future generation is destined to a life of poverty.
Handouts and short-term support don’t change futures. People need to be empowered to create their own opportunities. Clearly a quality education is key to breaking the poverty cycle, but for far too many this is out of reach. We discovered that even at the ‘good’ schools, where some children were fortunate enough to have received sponsorship or a bursary, their performances were often poor due to a lack of necessary support outside the classroom. And so, Bright Start was born.
Read more
Together, we founded Bright Start in 2008. Sponsors quickly saw the value in protecting their investment by funding children through our organisation, and schools recognised how the added holistic and academic support benefits the children considerably. It’s a model that enriches more than just the learners; families and entire communities benefit, while at the same time their own contributions to the programme mean they become part of the solution.
After thirteen years of invested education and support, we have our first two undergraduates at top academic institutions in the Western Cape. We couldn’t be prouder of them. None of this would be possible without our passionate team, board, sponsors, schools, partners and volunteers, who through their involvement and commitment, contribute to the continued success of Bright Start.
Like our learners’ dreams, ours are not small either. Our vision is to align ourselves with a passionate partner who shares our vision of equity in education, and to help us duplicate the Bright Start model in other communities across South Africa, so we offer possibilities beyond a life of entrenched poverty.
Sharon Scudamore, Co-Founder
Sally Whitford, Co-Founder
Founders’ statement
Living in Hout Bay, it’s difficult to ignore the stark inequalities on the door step. Here there are daily struggles in the townships – a place where life exists on survival, desperation and tragedy, and where the future generation is destined to a life of poverty.
Handouts and short-term support don’t change futures. People need to be empowered to create their own opportunities. Clearly a quality education is key to breaking the poverty cycle, but for far too many this is out of reach. We discovered that even at the ‘good’ schools, where some children were fortunate enough to have received sponsorship or a bursary, their performances were often poor due to a lack of necessary support outside the classroom. And so, Bright Start was born.
Read more
Together, we founded Bright Start in 2008. Sponsors quickly saw the value in protecting their investment by funding children through our organisation, and schools recognised how the added holistic and academic support benefits the children considerably. It’s a model that enriches more than just the learners; families and entire communities benefit, while at the same time their own contributions to the programme mean they become part of the solution.
After thirteen years of invested education and support, we have our first two undergraduates at top academic institutions in the Western Cape. We couldn’t be prouder of them. None of this would be possible without our passionate team, board, sponsors, schools, partners and volunteers, who through their involvement and commitment, contribute to the continued success of Bright Start.
Like our learners’ dreams, ours are not small either. Our vision is to align ourselves with a passionate partner who shares our vision of equity in education, and to help us duplicate the Bright Start model in other communities across South Africa, so we offer possibilities beyond a life of entrenched poverty.
Sharon Scudamore, Co-Founder
Sally Whitford, Co-Founder
References
- In 2015, the richest 10% of the population of South Africa held 71% of its net wealth. The bottom 60% held 7%. World Bank, South Africa Overview Read more
- Amnesty International: Broken and Unequal Read more
- Rademeyer 2012 Rademeyer, A. (2012, August 31). 1 m. herhaal hul skooljaar. Beeld, p 16
- The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2017 National Center for Educational Statistic, 2017
- Nick Spaull; The stories we tell ourselves about inequality (24 October 2019) Read more
- 2013 National Household Travel Survey
- General Household survey released on 29 May 2019
Contact Us
Bright Start gives children in South Africa access to
the quality education they deserve.