Many South African children lag behind in early education

SOUTH Africa’s youngest learners are falling behind before they even reach Grade R, with fewer than half of four-year-olds enrolled in Early Learning Programmes (ELPs) developmentally on track.

- WENDY DONDOLO

This is according to the Thrive by Five Index, the country’s largest survey of preschool outcomes, released this week.

The survey, conducted every three years, assessed 5 000 children across 1 388 ELPs in all nine provinces. A smaller sub-study also looked at children from low-income households who are not enrolled in any ELPs.

The findings paint a stark picture.

“Too many young children in South Africa start school without the skills needed to succeed in the foundation phase and beyond,’ the Index states.

According to the results, only 42% of enrolled four-year-olds are on track for early learning, while 28% are falling behind and 30% are falling far behind.

The situation is even worse for children not attending any programmes: just 18% were on track, while 55% were falling far behind.

“Non-enrolled children are the most vulnerable group, facing the steepest developmental delays,’ the report notes.