ECS3707
Assignment 5
Semester 2 2025
Due October 2025
, ECS3707
Assignment 5
Semester 2 2025
Due October 2025
1.1 What is the main development challenge South Africa faces, and how are poor
healthcare and education outcomes linked to slow economic growth?
South Africa’s core challenge is a dual one: persistently weak health and education
outcomes paired with sluggish economic growth. Despite spending heavily on both
sectors, outcomes lag behind global and regional peers.
On health, South Africa lost an estimated 26.6 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years
(DALYs) in 2019, showing how much disease and early death cut into productive
lifespans. HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis remain significant, but non-communicable
diseases are now rising, straining an already uneven health system.
Education tells a parallel story. South African learners consistently rank at the bottom in
international tests such as TIMSS, especially in mathematics and science. While
enrolment is high, the quality of learning is low, meaning years spent in school often fail
to translate into employable skills.
Both factors fuel slow growth. Poor health reduces workforce participation and
productivity, while poor learning lowers the capacity to adopt new technologies and
adapt to changing markets. The result is a low-growth trap: weak human capital feeds
into low productivity, which depresses growth, tax revenues, and the resources needed
for better services.
Assignment 5
Semester 2 2025
Due October 2025
, ECS3707
Assignment 5
Semester 2 2025
Due October 2025
1.1 What is the main development challenge South Africa faces, and how are poor
healthcare and education outcomes linked to slow economic growth?
South Africa’s core challenge is a dual one: persistently weak health and education
outcomes paired with sluggish economic growth. Despite spending heavily on both
sectors, outcomes lag behind global and regional peers.
On health, South Africa lost an estimated 26.6 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years
(DALYs) in 2019, showing how much disease and early death cut into productive
lifespans. HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis remain significant, but non-communicable
diseases are now rising, straining an already uneven health system.
Education tells a parallel story. South African learners consistently rank at the bottom in
international tests such as TIMSS, especially in mathematics and science. While
enrolment is high, the quality of learning is low, meaning years spent in school often fail
to translate into employable skills.
Both factors fuel slow growth. Poor health reduces workforce participation and
productivity, while poor learning lowers the capacity to adopt new technologies and
adapt to changing markets. The result is a low-growth trap: weak human capital feeds
into low productivity, which depresses growth, tax revenues, and the resources needed
for better services.
