The Provision of school library resources in a changing environment

A case study from Gauteng province, South Africa

Abstract

Before 1994 education in South Africa was divided along racial lines. There were separate departments of education for whites, coloureds (people of mixed decent), Indians (people of East Indian decent), and blacks (black Africans). Education for white children was much better funded than any of the others. The quality of the education that white children enjoyed was also much better as schools were better equipped, teachers were better qualified and classes were smaller. This inequality also applied to school library provision. All white schools had well-equipped libraries and full-time teacher-librarians. A start was made with libraries in the other departments, but , for example, only secondary schools for black learners had libraries. Black primary schools were just provided with classroom collections.