As South Africa prepares for the 2026 state of the nation address, the numbers tell a familiar story: an estimated 3.5-million young people are Not in Employment, Education or Training (Neet) ― that is nearly 40% of South Africans aged 15-24 who do not have jobs and are not actively broadening their skill sets to be more employable.
These figures are often described as a labour market emergency, but this framing misses a deeper truth. By the time a young person is officially counted as unemployed, the system has already failed them: years earlier, in the classroom.
Education methods and outcomes are deeply entangled with these numbers. Unemployment is not only about a shortage of jobs; it is also about a lack of preparedness, and foundational skills present a stark warning sign. A 2021 global literacy study showed that 81% of South Africa’s Grade 4 scholars cannot read for meaning in any official language, undermining all subsequent learning, and often leading to scholars dropping out long before matric.
In fact, by the time scholars reach Grade 12, only about half of the cohort that enrolled in Grade 1 together is still in school. This pervasive dropout feeds directly into a growing pool of young people who are both unemployed and unemployable.
And, even for those who complete school, readiness for the world beyond the classroom is far from guaranteed. The World Economic Forum identifies analytical thinking, creativity, resilience and agility as essential, yet under-developed, attributes for the future workforce. But these capabilities are not suddenly missing at age 22. They are shaped ― or neglected ― through schooling environments that fail to embed agency, critical thinking and real-world application from an early age.
These realities raise an urgent question: how can school better prepare scholars for the working world?
Historically, South Africa’s education system has been designed around progression and compliance; a stark contrast to the World Economic Forum’s Education 4.0 principles, which are designed to prepare scholars for a world shaped by rapid technological change, automation, AI and shifting job roles.
If we want more positive outcomes for our matriculants, learning pathways must be personalised early, and with intent. This is not about fitting more learning into an already crowded curriculum. It is about rethinking how learning happens at an individual level. It starts with using data to enable teachers to intervene precisely rather than broadly, but the scope reaches far beyond this.
South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis will not be solved by education alone. Economic growth, job creation and policy reform all matter.
Crucially, personalisation is not static. It must evolve as children develop. In the early years, this means prioritising strong foundations in language, numeracy and emotional regulation, with learning experiences that are structured, guided and responsive to how young children acquire skills. At this age, scholars benefit from smaller group work, one-on-one teaching and technology-enhanced activities that promote autonomy and mastery of core skills rather than rote completion of a standard pace.
As scholars move into the intermediate phase, personalisation increasingly centres on autonomy and mastery, allowing them to progress at different paces, collaborate with peers and deepen conceptual understanding rather than simply complete prescribed content. By high school, the focus shifts again, towards application, problem-solving and identity formation, with learning designed to mirror the complexity and ambiguity of the real world.
Across these phases, models combine teacher expertise with real-time data on individual scholars to identify gaps before they become entrenched. When teaching is structured around mastery rather than coverage, and aligned to developmental readiness, scholars are better positioned to build independence and resilience. These are not optional extras. They are the capabilities that underpin lifelong learning and meaningful participation in the economy, long before young people look to enter the labour market.
South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis will not be solved by education alone. Economic growth, job creation and policy reform all matter. But without re-examining how our schooling system works ― what we prioritise, how we measure success and what skills we intentionally build ― we will continue to see the same outcomes repeated for generations to come.
Education should equip scholars to navigate a complex world, not just pass tests. Personalised learning ensures that every scholar builds the skills, agency and resilience they need to succeed once they step into the labour market.
• Khomotjo Mashele is head of product at SPARK Schools
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