Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has implored stakeholders to double their efforts to ensure that all learners have access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) across South Africa, especially those in underserved communities.
Gwarube made the appeal at the City of Cape Town’s ECD Indaba, which focused on municipal planning processes and compliance support for ECD centres.
The minister urged stakeholders across government, civil society, and the private sector to urgently address systemic inequities that continue to shape the prospects of South Africa’s children from as early as birth.
“Two children may be born in the same country, but their chances of success diverge drastically depending on their early years. We cannot allow a child’s destiny to be dictated by geography or birth circumstances,” said the Minister.
She expressed concern regarding the international benchmark tests and national assessments that show eight out of ten Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language.
Gwarube emphasized that foundational learning deficits begin long before children enter the school system.
“The eight out of ten statistic is not just about reading. It’s about whether a child will grasp the curriculum, remain in school, and build a life of dignity and opportunity. The only sustainable path to improved education outcomes is to intervene earlier and inject quality from the start,” appealed the minister.
Gwarube urged ECD centres, especially those in rural, informal, and disadvantaged communities to ensure that they meet all the registration requirements.
She said this will ensure that they receive government subsidies, nutrition programmes, training opportunities and quality assurance support amongst others.
Gwarube reaffirmed the department’s commitment to Mother-Tongue Based Bilingual Education (MTBBE) from early childhood through to the Foundation Phase.
“Eighty-five percent of brain development occurs before the age of three, and language exposure during this time is the strongest predictor of academic success.
“Our children must learn in the language they understand best while building bridges to other languages of learning. This is about cognition, comprehension, and confidence,” remarked Gwarube.
The department is currently piloting MTBBE programmes in several provinces, including teacher training, material development, and is encouraging ECD centres to adopt this evidence-based approach.
