How many Grade 1s will pass Grade 12?

A million Grade 1s began their educational journey on Wednesday and experts say they would face major challenges over the next 12 years.

- Oratile Mashilo

According to the department of basic education, 1.2 million pupils started Grade 1 in 2013.

Twelve years later, only 882 336 wrote the National Senior Certificate exam last year, with 615 429 pupils passing.

According to a Stats SA report in 2020, factors contributing to this are lack of family support, or a lack of interest in school.