Johannesburg – A new report by the Zero Dropout Campaign has warned that South Africa’s efforts to curb school dropout will continue to fall short unless psychosocial wellbeing is treated as a core part of the education system.
Despite record improvements in matric pass rates, it is estimated that up to four in ten learners who enter Grade 1 will leave school before completing Grade 12, cutting them off from further education and employment opportunities.
The report, School Dropout: Hanging by a Thread, finds that dropout is rarely a sudden decision. Instead, it is the cumulative result of unmet psychosocial needs, including poverty, exposure to violence, poor mental health, bullying and weak social support, which intensify during adolescence.
According to UNICEF, 73 percent of young people in South Africa need mental health support. However, the report argues that psychosocial support has been treated as a peripheral issue in dropout prevention, rather than an organising pillar that underpins learner engagement and retention.
“Adolescence is both a period of heightened risk and a second window of opportunity,” said Merle Mansfield. “With the right mental health and social support, earlier adversity can still be reversed.”
While South Africa has progressive policies in place, including school health and mental health frameworks, the report highlights weak implementation on the ground. Limited access to counsellors and social workers means learners often wait weeks or months for support, increasing the risk of disengagement.
The Zero Dropout Campaign is calling for psychosocial wellbeing and dropout prevention to be addressed as a shared responsibility across government, schools, communities and the private sector, warning that without this shift, national education targets will remain out of reach.
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