DBE Underscores Significance of Early Childhood Development

South Africa positions foundational learning at centre of G20 education agenda

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has made it clear: early childhood development cannot be treated as an afterthought in South Africa’s education system. Speaking at the G20 Basic Education Special Indaba in Century City, Cape Town, this week, she emphasised how foundational learning must anchor every subsequent educational reform.

The timing is significant. South Africa currently holds the G20 chairpersonship under the theme of “solidarity, equality, and sustainability,” giving the country a platform to champion early childhood care and education on the global stage. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to strengthen early childhood learning is greatly appreciated and a crucial step toward building a resilient and future-ready education system in South Africa, according to education stakeholders.

The Foundation Crisis

The statistics paint a sobering picture of South Africa’s educational landscape. Eight out of ten 10-year-olds in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning, a figure that highlights the systemic nature of the learning crisis. Research shows that 90% of foundational brain development occurs before age five, shaping neural pathways that influence lifelong learning, behavior, and health. Yet, only 70% of South African children aged two to six are enrolled in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

Gwarube illustrated this challenge through a compelling comparison of two ten-year-old learners. The first child comes from an affluent home where reading is encouraged, quality early childhood development centres are accessible, and nutritious meals are guaranteed. The second child grows up in a home without a reading culture and likely stays at home before entering Grade R or Grade 1.

“Both of these children will get to Grade 4. They’ll take the same international benchmarking test and the other child will fail, not because they’re any less capable, but because the system hasn’t catered for them,” Gwarube explained during the indaba.

G20 Leadership Opportunity

The G20 education working group has positioned early childhood development at the heart of its agenda, creating an opportunity for South Africa to lead meaningful change. Since 2018, several educational challenges have been dealt with by the G20 EWG, including: strengthening learning outcomes; equitable access; technological tools, digitalisation and digital technologies in education, universal quality education, financing, partnerships for education; international cooperation; skills for life and work; early childhood care and education (ECCE).

“Early childhood care and education is not an optional extra. It is the foundation on which everything else rests. If we fail to get the quality foundational learning right, we undermine every reform,” Gwarube stated emphatically.

The Minister highlighted how President Ramaphosa has embraced the challenge of championing foundational learning not only within South Africa but globally during the country’s G20 presidency. The 2025 South African G20 presidency has the opportunity to build on these commitments and accelerate progress on foundational learning amid Africa’s ongoing learning crisis.

Practical Implementation Strategies

With the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act making Grade R compulsory, the department faces implementation challenges. Gwarube acknowledged that no additional funding has yet been allocated to implement this mandate at scale. “We therefore see continued collaboration with private ECD providers as not only desirable, but essential,” she said.

The Department of Basic Education plans to standardise provision across public and private Grade R programmes through several measures: aligning curriculum and learning materials, requiring appropriate qualifications and South African Council for Educators registration for Grade R teachers, expanding access to state-developed workbooks, and creating pathways for accredited private centres to deliver Grade R under BELA.

Language development forms another crucial component of the strategy. “85% of brain development occurs before the age of three, and language exposure during this time is the strongest predictor of academic success,” she noted. “Our children must learn in the language they understand best while building bridges to other languages of learning.

Economic Imperative

Research shows that investing in ECD is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for sustainable economic growth, social equity, and human capital development. The economic implications are substantial: children in sub-Saharan Africa spend six years in school but gain only three years’ worth of learning. This threatens individual opportunity and undermines the continent’s economic potential, risking $6.5 trillion in lost global productivity.

The challenge is particularly acute given current fiscal constraints. African nations now spend more on debt servicing (19% of GDP) than on education and healthcare combined, making efficient use of available resources critical.

Moving Forward

The transfer of early childhood development from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education represents a significant structural change. “This ensures coherence from birth to age 18,” Gwarube explained. “If we strengthen cognitive milestones in the first 1 000 days, we will not need to obsess over Math and Science uptake later.”

As South Africa leverages its G20 platform, the focus remains on translating international commitments into classroom realities. The indaba forms part of a broader consultation process that has traversed all nine provinces, gathering insights ahead of the Education Working Group Ministerial Meeting in October 2025.

Gwarube’s message resonates beyond policy circles: “We cannot allow a child’s destiny to be dictated by geography or birth circumstances.” This principle guides South Africa’s approach as it seeks to position early childhood development not as a luxury, but as the essential foundation for educational success and economic prosperity.

The question now is whether South Africa can successfully leverage its G20 leadership to create lasting change in how the world approaches early childhood education, starting with transforming its own system from the ground up.