In addition to what has improved in education, learners were also asked to identify the biggest problems at their school and what they would most like to see improved upon in the future. South African learners continued to feel that alcohol and drugs was the most significant problem in schools. The survey found that 23% of learners identified alcohol and drugs as the biggest problem at their school, compared to 26% who held the same opinion last year. Other significant problems were found to be a lack of adequate facilities (14%), bullying and peer pressure (12%) and a lack of safety (10%).
When it came to what learners would like to see improved upon most at their school, the survey found that safety was the most important area for improvement, with 19% of learners identifying it as such. Once again, safer schools remained the most desired improvement compared to 2013. A significant number of learners also wanted improvements to infrastructure and facilities (17%), the number of schools in their area (15%), teacher quality (14%) and textbook delivery (13%).
Opinion on this question differed by province. Learners in the Western Cape were the most likely to see improvements in school safety as their highest priority, with 32% saying they would like to see this improved on most. In contrast, learners in Limpopo most wanted textbook delivery to be improved, with 25% wanting this, compared to 14% who most wanted safety to be improved at their school. Similarly, 24% of learners in Mpumalanga saw facilities and infrastructure as the most important area for improvement, compared to 14% who wanted a safer school first and foremost.
73% of South African learners described their education as the most important thing in their lives. This opinion was consistent across all demographic groups.
