The series Issues in Education Policy consists of a number of booklets on key issues in education and training policy in South Africa. Each booklet deals with one such issue and aims to give the reader, in plain English, an overview of the topic and its implications for various stakeholders. The intended readership includes a wide range of people with an interest in the education and training system - members of Parliament or of provincial legislatures, teachers, trade unionists, employers, student and community activists, education department officials, journalists, governors of educational institutions, members of local or provincial education and training councils, and interested members of the general public. Each booklet gives an outline of the issue that it deals with, explains its importance and why it is contentious or divisive (where that is the case). It summarises current policy and its development - for example, why certain policies were made in the first place and under what circumstances, what the experience of implementing the policies has been, what their supporters and detractors have to say about them, and the main findings of research and policy evaluations. There is also a list of further reading. After having read the booklets, readers should have a basic understanding of the topic. They should be able to understand more complex material on the issues, participate in public debates and assess new policy initiatives.