By Thapelo Molefe
South Africa’s failure to get children reading and counting in the early years amounts to a “national emergency” that threatens the country’s future, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube warned as the 2026 Basic Education Sector Lekgotla started on Tuesday in Gauteng.
The three-day gathering has brought together national and provincial education authorities, teacher unions, education bodies and development partners to reflect on system performance and set priorities for the year ahead.
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Gwarube used her opening address to shift the spotlight away from end-of-school results and to what she said was the weakest point in the education system — early learning.
She said persistent literacy and numeracy failures in the foundation phase continue to shape poor learning outcomes, learner dropout, and limited access to science, mathematics and technical subjects later in the system.
“This is not merely an education challenge. It is a national emergency that demands urgent and decisive action,” Gwarube said.
At the start of her address, the minister also paid tribute to the 14 learners who died in a road accident in Gauteng on Monday, describing the loss of young lives so early in the school year as “incredibly heart-breaking” and saying it had “shaken me to the core”.
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She that improved matric results, including the strong performance of the class of 2025, should not mask deep structural problems at the start of the schooling journey.
“You don’t create a matric pass rate in matric,” she said, adding that learning outcomes are determined “far beyond when children get to matric”.
Gwarube called for a shift that fully embeds early learning from birth to age nine within the basic education system, with particular emphasis on Grade R to Grade 3 as the foundation for reading, numeracy and critical thinking.
“If we fail our children during this critical period, we fail them throughout the education journey,” she told delegates.
She also outlined plans to strengthen inclusive education, expand mother tongue-based bilingual learning, review teacher post-provisioning norms and improve school safety and learner wellbeing.
“Quality early learning is not optional. It is the cornerstone of lifelong achievement,” the minister said.
The Lekgotla is expected to conclude on Thursday, with discussions aimed at translating policy commitments into practical interventions to strengthen foundational learning and stabilise the education system.
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