06/08/2026
“School readiness is not about reciting letters or counting to 10. It is about emotional regulation, secure attachment, curiosity, motor development, language exposure, sensory integration, confidence and the ability to sit, listen and engage. These capacities are shaped long before a child enters Grade R.”
Age-based admissions mask a deeper crisis: most children enter Grade 1 without the developmental foundations they need. Until South Africa invests in the birth-to-five years, the system will remain on…
