Foundation phase inequality a moral challenge, says Gwarube
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has called for urgent reforms to close the gap between pupils from wealthy households and those from poor communities, warning that the disparity continues to shape South Africa’s education system.
Speaking at the National Education Indaba, which also forms part of South Africa’s G20 presidency engagements, Gwarube said the country must use the opportunity to place early learning and foundational skills at the centre of its education agenda.
She illustrated her point with what she described as the “tale of two 10-year-olds”: one child raised in a well-resourced home, exposed to books, nutritious meals, and early childhood programmes, and another growing up without access to such support.
"Both take the same international benchmarking test by Grade 4, but one succeeds and the other fails — not because of ability, but because the system did not cater for them," she said.
"This is the moral challenge of our time," Gwarube added.
"How do we bridge the gap between the two 10-year-olds and ensure that the majority of South African learners, who fall into the second category, are given a fair chance to read for meaning, calculate confidently, and take on subjects like maths and science?"
The minister announced a range of measures aimed at stabilising provincial education departments, many of which are facing financial distress.
These include developing financial recovery plans, auditing “ghost teachers” and “ghost learners” and improving scholar transport and infrastructure funding.
She also confirmed the operationalisation of the National Education and Training Council, an advisory body that will recommend evidence-based reforms on issues such as foundation phase support, school resourcing, and promotion policies.
Pupils, unions, researchers, and community organisations are also part of the Indaba.
Gwarube said their voices will be central: "Too often young people are spoken to but not listened to. Today, they take their rightful place in shaping the education system."
South Africa’s G20 presidency will now feed the Indaba’s outcomes into the Education Working Group globally.
Gwarube said this was an opportunity to lead conversations on inequality in education, particularly across the global South.
"Our task is clear: we must get the foundations right," she said.
"If children can read, write and calculate by the end of foundation phase, then everything else becomes possible. That is how we build a fair, equal and globally competitive education system."
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