Originally a school history teacher and teacher union official, later an official and analyst in the education administrations of a province and at the national level in South Africa. Currently associate professor with Research on Socio-Economic Policy (ReSEP), attached to the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. Apart from working directly for ReSEP, also do research for the Department of Basic Education, South Africa's national authority dealing with schools, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.