Yes, education matters - and it pays to have matric, literally

There is no shortage of education sceptics these days. Does education really matter? Look at the number of unemployed graduates. After all, the matric certificate is pretty worthless given the low passing standards. Why bother?

Those questions make sense to cash-strapped parents. Believe it or not, there are elite schools in South Africa whose tuition fees are higher than those of universities. And students now graduate with a huge debt burden, given the spiraling costs of higher education.

Is private spending on education really worthwhile given these high costs and the possibility that the degreed student might not even get a job?

Well, my favourite economist for plain speaking, Mike Schussler, recently shared with me a batch of new statistics on the value of education in South Africa. The results will shock you

Read Jansen's full column on Times Select.