Gwarube Urges Urgent Action to Expand Quality Early Childhood Development

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has issued a powerful call to action, urging all stakeholders—including government entities, civil society, and private sector partners—to work in concert to dramatically expand access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) services throughout South Africa, especially in historically underserved and marginalized communities. Speaking at the City of Cape Town’s ECD Indaba on Saturday, Minister Gwarube stressed that the future prospects of South Africa’s children depend critically on investments and interventions made in their earliest years of life.

Addressing Systemic Inequities in Early Childhood Development

Minister Gwarube highlighted the deep-rooted inequalities that continue to influence a child’s trajectory from birth onward. “Two children may be born in the same country, but their chances of success diverge drastically, depending on their early years,” she said. “We cannot allow a child’s destiny to be dictated by geography or birth circumstances.”

Drawing attention to national and international assessment data, the Minister underscored the urgent need to tackle foundational learning deficits early. Recent statistics reveal that eight out of ten Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language, indicating that learning challenges begin well before children enter formal schooling.

“This alarming statistic is not just about reading—it determines whether a child will grasp the curriculum, stay in school, and ultimately build a life of dignity and opportunity,” she explained. “The only sustainable path to improved education outcomes is to intervene earlier and inject quality from the start.”

Mass Registration Drive to Strengthen ECD Centres

A key initiative spotlighted by the Minister was the Department of Basic Education’s ‘Bana Pele’ (Children First) mass registration campaign, aimed at assisting ECD centres—especially those in rural, informal, and disadvantaged communities—to comply with registration requirements.

“Unregistered centres often miss out on vital government subsidies, nutrition programmes, teacher training, and quality assurance support,” warned Minister Gwarube. “This exclusion directly affects the development and school readiness of our most vulnerable children.”

The department will collaborate closely with communities and other government agencies to overcome infrastructure constraints and compliance hurdles, with special emphasis on under-resourced areas.

Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships to Implement Grade R Mandate

With the recent enactment of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, which makes Grade R (the reception year before Grade 1) compulsory, Minister Gwarube acknowledged the financial and logistical challenges ahead. “No additional funding has yet been allocated to implement this mandate at scale,” she noted, underscoring the crucial role of continued partnerships with private ECD providers.

To promote standardisation and quality assurance across public and private Grade R provision, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) will work towards:

• Aligning curriculum frameworks and learning materials

• Ensuring Grade R teachers hold appropriate qualifications and are registered with the South African Council for Educators (SACE)

• Expanding access to state-developed workbooks and educational resources

• Creating formal pathways for accredited private centres to deliver Grade R in compliance with BELA regulations

Commitment to Mother-Tongue Based Bilingual Education (MTBBE)

Minister Gwarube reaffirmed the department’s dedication to Mother-Tongue Based Bilingual Education (MTBBE), which supports learning in children’s home languages from early childhood through the foundation phase. Citing research on brain development, she emphasized that 85% of brain growth occurs before the age of three, and early language exposure is the strongest predictor of later academic success.

“Our children must learn in the language they understand best, while also building bridges to additional languages of learning,” the Minister said. “This approach is critical to cognitive development, comprehension, and confidence.”

The DBE is currently piloting MTBBE programmes in several provinces, including teacher training and the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate materials, and is encouraging widespread adoption of this evidence-based model within ECD centres.

A Collective Call to Action for a Transformative Moment

Concluding her keynote, Minister Gwarube issued an impassioned call for collective urgency and unified effort to seize the current moment of transformation in South Africa’s education landscape.

“We have the policy frameworks, the research evidence, and the partnerships needed,” she said. “Now is the time to act decisively: register every ECD centre, standardise quality, expand infrastructure, and place the child—whether they are ten years old, three years old, or a newborn—at the heart of every decision.”

“This is how we build a nation from the ground up,” she concluded, underscoring that investing in early childhood development is foundational to South Africa’s social and economic future.