#WhatSACanBe: Empower excellence with school vouchers – IRR

The IRR's latest #WhatSACanBe paper, Education: Empower Excellence, Beat Back Poverty proposes that the Government of National Unity introduce tax-funded school vouchers to help communities and parents play an active role in School Governing Bodies.

With a new government comes new opportunities and the scope for revitalised policy proposals to help achieve #WhatSACanBe. Education is crucial to South Africa’s success. Nelson Mandela famously described education as “the most powerful weapon with which you change the world”. The IRR's latest #WhatSACanBe paper attempts to make this a reality by proposing tax-funded school vouchers for all children.

The school voucher would be equivalent in value to what the State spends on a child’s education every year, which is roughly R21,500. Parents will be given the freedom to choose whether their child attends a public or private school.

Says IRR researcher Chris Patterson: “Putting the power of school choice in the hands of parents is a way of ensuring that children get the best education possible. The Government of National Unity should trust parents to make decisions on their children’s education. School vouchers are a key part of the IRR’s alternative to the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, that seeks instead to centralise power in the government’s hands.”

IRR polling shows broad support for school vouchers, with 84% of South Africans agreeing that school vouchers will help them improve their quality of life.

“Giving parents the opportunity and the freedom to ensure better education for their children is an important step in breaking the cycle of poverty and building dignity for future generations,” Patterson concludes.

You can read the full report here.

Media contacts: Hermann Pretorius IRR Head of Strategic Communications Tel: 079 875 4290 Email: hermann@irr.org.za

Chris Patterson, Researcher Tel: 063 682 5035 Email: chrisp@irr.org.za

Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za