Secondary Education: The Fundamentals
Secondary education in South Africa lasts six years (grades 7 to 12) and is separated into two phases: lower secondary school and upper secondary school.
Lower secondary (also known as the “senior phase”) is compulsory and lasts until grade 9. Lower secondary students often begin at the age of 12 or 13. The home language, an extra language, mathematics, natural science, social science, technology, economic and management sciences, life orientation, and arts and culture are all part of the lower secondary school curriculum. Each week, students receive 27.5 hours of classroom instruction.
Upper secondary, commonly known as further education and training (FET), is optional and lasts until grade 12. This phase requires an official record of grade nine completion. This phase, like the intermediate and senior phases, consists of 27.5 classroom hours each week.
Students begin upper secondary school in grade 10 and are assigned to one of two tracks: academic (general) or technical. Students who choose the technical path must attend a technical secondary school.
All students must study seven subjects in both the academic (general) and technical pathways. Regardless of stream, four subjects are required. These include two official languages, mathematics (the breadth of mathematics courses varies between tracks), and life orientation. The following three disciplines are available to students as electives. Students are encouraged to study subjects in which they may be interested in furthering their studies.
The performance on a final exam, the National Senior Certificate or “matric,” at the end of grade 12 determines graduation. Those who receive a second level or “higher certificate” pass (detailed below) but do not meet the requirements to continue on to diploma or degree-granting institutes of higher education may enroll in a bridge year, or grade 13, at a recognized institution.
NOTE: Secondary school dropout rates are high, especially in the last year. According to DHET, “about one million young people leave the schooling system each year, many… without a Grade 12 certificate.” Half of those who drop out of school do so after Grade 11, either because they do not [enroll in] Grade 12 or because they fail Grade 12.
In South Africa, is secondary school the same as high school?
South Africans have their school names mixed up – secondary school is also called high school, and college is also called college! While this type of education is available in grades 8-12 in South Africa, it is only compulsory until grade 10.
What’s the distinction between high school and secondary school?
Secondary school is defined as schooling following elementary school, so grades 6 through 12 in the United States. After ninth grade, a pupil is considered a high school student. Secondary school in many English-speaking countries, on the other hand, is roughly equivalent to high school in the United States.
