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Articles on Merit

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Supra Mahumapelo, former premier of North West Province, former president Jacob Zuma and current president Cyril Ramaphosa at an ANC celebration in 2016. Thulani Mbele/Sowetan/Gallo Images/Getty Images

South Africa’s ruling party has favoured loyalty over competence - now cadre deployment has come back to bite it

The decline in support for the ANC suggests that coalition governments will become increasingly common in the country, affecting its appointment policy.
For the first time in a long time, South Africans are hearing stories about those who have been silenced. Reuters/Mike Hutchings

Student protests give South Africans a glimpse into hidden lives

Student protests in South Africa, as well as an unrelated clash between lawyers, have offered a chance for the country to hear voices that are usually marginalised.
Are new equity scholarships expected to increase access, or are they just a fig leaf to garner support for a harsh education budget? Flickr/Thomas Hawk

The scholarship fig leaf: they won’t improve access for all

Alongside higher fees and real interest rates on student debts, this year’s federal budget announced 20% of universities’ additional revenue will go towards equity scholarships. But will this measure increase…
Protesters this week at the Whitehouse Institute of Design where Tony Abbott’s daughter received a scholarship, which he said was based on merit. AAP

Who’s your daddy? Myths of merit and elite education scholarships

Please answer all questions. 1. Who’s your daddy? _______ Thank you for your application. We will take a cursory glance at your folio and inform you of our decision. This is from a fake application form…
With only one woman in Abbott’s cabinet, is it time to question the validity of the ‘merit’ argument? EPA Image/Justin Lane

The myth of merit and unconscious bias

The presence of only one woman, albeit a high profile one, in Tony Abbott’s cabinet has prompted renewed calls for the introduction of quotas to ensure greater numbers of senior women in government. And…
Julia Gillard’s speech to Tony Abbott put the issue of entrenched gender inequality squarely on the agenda. AAP

Gender equality is stymied by the persistent myth of merit

When Tony Abbott discussed the fallout from Peter Slipper’s resignation on ABC 24, he argued that he would rather that women were judged on what their actions are, rather than on the basis of their gender…

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