When your Grade R child comes home from school, they can’t stop talking about the friends they made, games they played and the new things they learned that day. Some experts say this preschool class ...

About half of the country’s grade R teachers are unqualified or underqualified — some without even a matric — mainly because the department of basic education has allowed them to be employed and ...

Among issues under the spotlight heading into the 2026 school year is the implementation of a compulsory Grade R year in the foundation phase, in line with the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) ...

The Department of Basic Education has introduced a new minimum qualification requirement for Grade R teachers under the BELA Act The move has raised fears that thousands of experienced practitioners ...

A new study shows that grade R classes have almost zero effect on the future performance of pupils in South Africa’s poorest schools. “The impact of grade R in South Africa is small and there is ...

Grade R applications can be submitted online at: https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/admissions For admission to Grade R, a child must turn six in the year that the ...

The integration of Grade R into the formal schooling system must be approached with caution, as the demands for specific qualifications among Grade R teachers have the potential to disrupt learning.

The Department of Basic Education has revealed that 7,294 unqualified Grade R practitioners are currently employed in public schools across all nine provinces in South Africa, and that only 2,121 of ...