7% of enrolled four year olds show signs of moderate or severe stunting, leaving them on average five months behind their peers.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has used World Literacy Day to raise the alarm over the state of early childhood development in South Africa.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Thrive by Five Index in Sandton on Monday, Gwarube said the findings paint a stark picture of inequality and the urgent need to strengthen early learning.
The index revealed that less than half of preschool children are meeting key developmental milestones.
42% of enrolled children are on track
The index, the largest child development survey of its kind in Africa, found that only 42% of enrolled children are meeting early learning milestones.
Children in high-fee preschools were found to be twice as likely to meet developmental goals as those in low-fee centres.
“If the beginning of the story is weak, the chapters that follow will always be harder to write,” Gwarube said, stressing that literacy starts long before children enter Grade 1.
She warned that poor foundations in fine motor coordination and visual motor skills were undermining progress.
“Only 29% of enrolled children are on track in this area,” she said, noting its direct impact on literacy.
Stunting and poverty remain major barriers
The index further showed that 7% of enrolled four year olds display signs of moderate or severe stunting, leaving them on average five months behind their peers.
Gwarube said this once again confirmed the strong link between poverty and poor outcomes: “The 2021 Index showed this and the 2024 Index does too. It is why we doubled our efforts to invest in the early years.”
She highlighted the government’s R10 billion allocation for early childhood development (ECD), saying it would help bring more non-enrolled children into learning programmes.
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Homes without books
A key challenge remains the lack of books in households.
Among enrolled children, only 11% of families reported having more than five children’s books at home, while 26% had none.
For non-enrolled children, the figure was worse, with 77% of caregivers reporting no children’s books at all.
“We must challenge ourselves to speak meaningfully to children and deliberately build their vocabulary. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers,” Gwarube said.
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Call to action
The minister outlined four priorities: ensuring predictable subsidies for ECD centres, empowering practitioners, integrating health and parenting support, and strengthening Grade R as the bridge to formal schooling.
“The Thrive by Five Index is not just a measure, it is a movement to ensure every child starts school ready to learn, to grow and to thrive,” Gwarube said.
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