How rural early learning can lead the way?

EARLIER this week, South Africa's Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, unveiled the 2024 Thrive by Five Index. The findings are unsettling, but they also provide a clear call to action.

- ANGELA LARKAN

BASIC Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube launches the 2024 Thrive by Five Index, which reveals deep challenges in early childhood development but also highlights models of success in under-resourced communities.

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According to the Index, only 18% of children not enrolled in an early learning programme (ELP) are developmentally “on track” for their age. While concerning, this is not surprising for those of us working in early childhood development. It underscores the widening gaps for young children and the urgent need to expand access to ELPs. The Index also highlights stark disparities in stunting: 18% of non-enrolled children are stunted, compared with 7% of children attending an ELP.

But what is most alarming is that only 42% of children attending an ELP are “on track,’ a decline from 46% in 2021. These figures highlight two urgent lessons: that the quality of early learning programmes must improve, and we should look to models that are already succeeding.