The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has called for immediate attention to strengthening Early Childhood Development (ECD) in South Africa, warning that failure to act could entrench inequality for generations.
Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Thrive by Five Index in Pretoria, Gwarube said the survey marks a historic milestone.
“The 2024 Thrive by Five Index is the largest child development survey of its kind in Africa, and the first reliable baseline since Covid-19,” she said.
The Index provides a data-driven, nationally representative view of how South African children are developing before entering formal schooling. It also exposes deep structural barriers to early learning opportunities.
According to the index, only 42% of children are developmentally on track, with nearly half at risk of falling behind before Grade 1.
Children in high-fee paying schools are twice as likely to reach developmental milestones compared to those in poorer communities.
In literacy and language, 53% of children are on track showing some progress.
However, access to learning resources remains a major challenge.
The report found that 11% of households with children enrolled in schools had more than five children’s books, and shockingly, 26% had no books at all. Among non-enrolled children, 77% of caregivers reported having no children’s books in the home.
Gwarube stressed the importance of books and storytelling in early learning.
“Literacy does not begin when a child learns to read in Grade 1. It begins in the preschool years, in the way a child holds a pencil, in the stories they hear, and in their earliest attempts at writing. If the beginning of the story is weak, the chapters that follow will always be harder to write,” she said.
To bridge the literacy gap, the Department of Basic Education plans to supply under-resourced early learning programmes with children’s books and practitioner resources.Gwarube has once again urged parents, caregivers, and communities to foster a culture of reading at home, emphasizing that the early years are decisive for children’s long-term success.