The Use of Cursive and Print Letters in Early Grades in Mozambique: A Critical View Education in Mozambique's early grades faces a range of challenges, and one often overlooked is related to the teaching of writing. From an early age, children are introduced to two types of letters: cursive and print. While textbooks are printed in print letters, teachers, when writing on the board, are encouraged to use cursive. Moreover, teachers are expected to teach four ways to write each letter: uppercase and lowercase in both cursive and print. This system, rather than facilitating literacy, seems to create cognitive overload for children, leading to persistent writing difficulties that accompany them throughout their school journey. In light of this, I propose that Mozambique’s educational system exclusively adopt print letters in early grades, with the introduction of cursive only from the eighth grade onward, when students have a solid foundation in reading and writing. This proposal is based on evidence and studies of child development, which demonstrate that the simultaneous use of different writing forms can negatively impact children's learning. In a critical phase of cognitive development, such as the early years of basic education, it is essential that children are exposed to a consistent and familiar letter format. Berninger and Abbott (2010) suggest that learning to recognize and write a single type of letter promotes the automatization of writing and fluent reading. In other words, familiarity with a standardized format facilitates letter recognition and contributes to the development of writing fluency. In Mozambique, instead of focusing on a cohesive approach, children are forced to deal with the complexity of learning two forms of letters, which ultimately compromises their progress. The impact of this system becomes evident when we analyze the academic performance of Mozambican students. Many reach higher grades without adequate writing proficiency, and this is not only due to a lack of materials or poor school infrastructure, but also to the methodology used in teaching writing. Silva (2017) mentions that, in addition to the structural difficulties faced by Mozambican schools, inadequate pedagogical practices significantly contribute to the low levels of literacy. Teaching four forms of each letter, while children are still developing fine motor and cognitive skills, represents an overload that directly affects their performance. Moreover, print letters are the predominant form of writing in our society. From the books we read to the signs we see on the streets, print letters are the most common form of written communication. For children who are learning to recognize patterns and letter shapes, it would make more sense to teach them to write using the same form of letters they encounter in their daily environment. According to Puranik and Al Otaiba (2012), constant exposure to a single type of letter improves memorization and visual recognition, which speeds up the learning process. In other words, teaching print letters from the start creates a stronger connection between what children read and what they write, facilitating literacy. The confusion caused by the early introduction of cursive letters also cannot be ignored. Graham (2010) argues that while cursive may be useful for fast writing, it offers no tangible benefits for early literacy. On the contrary, introducing cursive before children have mastered basic reading and writing skills can create additional barriers. In Mozambique, where many students already face challenges due to a lack of prior exposure to reading and writing, the insistence on teaching both cursive and print simultaneously complicates matters even further. Therefore, a more effective approach would be to focus on print letters during the early years, ensuring that children acquire a solid foundation before introducing cursive as an additional skill, mainly aimed at increasing writing speed. It is important to note that focusing exclusively on print letters in the early grades does not mean that cursive should be completely abandoned. Cursive writing has its value, especially for fast writing and for the development of manual fluency in handwriting. However, its introduction should occur at a more appropriate time. When students have already mastered the basic skills of reading and writing, around the eighth grade, cursive can be introduced as a new skill to be acquired, with