“Arial 12. Bold heading. 1.5 spacing.”
I still remember those words. It was my first year at university. I sat in a computer lab as the lecturer explained our assignment instructions. Everyone seemed to know exactly what to do.
Not because I was lazy or incapable, but because I had never used a computer before. As the lecturer continued speaking, I slowly got lost. I remember sitting next to a student named James while he typed confidently on his keyboard. Meanwhile, I stared at the screen, not even knowing how to switch the computer on. I had to swallow my pride and ask questions that felt embarrassing at the time.
“Where is Microsoft Word?”
“Where is the letter N?”
Letter by letter, I typed. Even writing one sentence took me almost an hour. For many South Africans, especially those attending lower-quintile and historically disadvantaged schools, this story is not unusual.
Problems in South Africa’s school system
While some learners grow up with computer labs, libraries, coding classes and fast internet, others find themselves sharing the bare minimum. In some schools, learners still share textbooks, classrooms remain overcrowded, and computers simply do not exist. In some communities, learners travel long distances just to access a library. Yet we are expected to compete as though we all began from the same starting line.
A report by the South African Human Rights Commission has highlighted major challenges in South Africa’s school system, particularly in poorer communities. Based on visits to 150 schools nationwide, the report found unsafe infrastructure, including pit toilets, damaged buildings, broken windows, asbestos structures, and poor fencing.
In the Eastern Cape, some schools had unsafe hostels with little adult supervision, while schools in North West were operating without electricity or proper toilets. Similar sanitation problems were reported in several other provinces, with many schools struggling to maintain basic facilities, let alone provide modern technology.
That day, I failed the assignment.
Not because I did not care, but because I was being assessed on skills I had never been given the opportunity to learn. Sometimes inequality is silent. It looks like a student pretending to understand because they are too ashamed to ask for help.
Two different education systems
While important frameworks and commitments promoting equal opportunities for all learners exist in South Africa, for many children, especially those in rural and historically disadvantaged communities, those promises still feel far removed from daily reality.
We are still living with two very different education systems. One system prepares learners for the future. The other prepares learners to survive. Today, as a lecturer, I still see these realities. I see students arriving at university carrying unequal schooling backgrounds. I see students hiding confusion, avoiding questions, and trying to catch up in environments that assume everyone started from the same place.
I have seen students submit handwritten assignments because they struggle with digital skills or lack access to technology. Yet in many institutions, handwritten work automatically receives zero before the content is even read. We often punish students for opportunities they never had. This is not about blaming teachers or universities alone. The problem starts long before learners arrive at university.
Inequality begins long before university
How do we expect schools without libraries, computers or basic learning resources to compete with schools that have every educational advantage? And in the 21st Century, should a child’s future still be shaped by the school or community they were born into?
For many learners, inequality begins long before university. It begins in classrooms where children are taught to dream big while learning with the bare minimum. Yes, many schools in lower quintiles still produce exceptional learners. But often at a hidden cost. Teachers sacrifice weekends, personal money and family time just to give learners opportunities others take for granted.
Resilience has become normal in South African education. But resilience should not be required for basic learning. My story is not shared for sympathy. It is shared because too many South Africans have lived versions of this reality in silence. The truth is, many students are not behind because they are incapable. They are behind because they were never given the same opportunities to begin with. South Africa says education is a right. For too many learners, opportunity depends on the postcode of their school. But can we really speak about equal education when some learners meet their first computer at university while others have been using them since primary school?