With the economy growing slowly, public sector productivity is in the spotlight, especially the education sector, which accounted for the largest share (23%) of government expenditure in 2013/14.

Research by the Financial and Fiscal Commission (the Commission) into the productivity of 210 secondary schools found that just 9% were ‘efficient’, showing that the productivity of secondary schools in South Africa could be substantially improved.

Factors that affect learner outcomes include the school’s location and the neighbourhood’s socio-economic status. The inadequate availability of teaching materials (e.g. textbooks) has a negative effect on learner outcomes, but inadequate classrooms do not.

Teacher qualifications matter, whereas school size and teacher absenteeism (as a proxy for teacher commitment) are not significant factors. The challenge in the schooling system is not the resources and funding in the main but the ethos in schools, which is created by good management and governance.

To improve public sector productivity, the Commission recommends developing a framework for measuring productivity, continuing government’s socio-economic programmes that lead to improved educational outcomes (e.g. school nutrition programmes), and investigating mechanisms to improve productivity in schools (including appointing appropriate principals, linking performance to overall school outcomes and exploring e-Education as a learning platform).

Report by the Financial and Fiscal Commission