Thousands of unqualified ECD teachers disadvantage children, warns NPO

CAPE TOWN – A local non-profit organisation is sounding the alarm about thousands of unqualified early childhood development (ECD) teachers across South Africa, warning that children are entering Grade R already behind their peers due to inadequate early education.

Ikamva Labantu, which has worked in Cape Town’s townships for more than 60 years, expressed “deep concern” following this week’s parliamentary briefing that revealed only 2 000 of 7 000 unqualified Grade R teachers are eligible for qualification upgrades.

The briefing, delivered on Tuesday (2 December) by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Department of Basic Education Chief Director Enoch Rabotapi to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, highlighted the scale of the teacher-qualification crisis.

Quarter of ECD staff lack relevant qualifications

However, Ikamva Labantu argued the problem runs much deeper than Grade R, pointing to the 2021 ECD Census, which found that nearly a quarter of all teaching and managerial staff in the early-childhood sector lacked relevant qualifications.

The census revealed that of the approximately 198 300 staff working in ECD programmes nationwide about 43 600 had no relevant ECD qualifications. Among those who were qualified only 10% held qualifications at NQF Level 6 or higher, while roughly 40% had Level 4 or 5 qualifications.

“The first five years of a child’s life shape their future learning, behaviour and health,” the organisation stated. “By the time children reach Grade R most have already spent up to five years in environments where teachers may not be fully equipped to support early brain development.”

Lifelong impact on children and society

The consequences extend far beyond individual children, Ikamva Labantu warned. Children who miss proper foundational learning are less likely to progress successfully through school, more likely to repeat grades and more likely to fall into “intergenerational cycles of poverty and exclusion.”

While welcoming Gwarube’s commitment to supporting Grade R teacher upgrades the organisation stressed that equal attention must be given to ECD centres across the country.

Local solutions in Khayelitsha

To address these challenges Ikamva Labantu developed what it calls a “practical, scalable model” for training ECD principals and teachers, particularly in underserved areas like Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township, where well-run ECD centres are in short supply.

The organisation is calling on government and all South Africans to increase investment in ECD centres, describing early childhood education as “the very start of a child’s educational journey” and crucial for building “the future of the people.”

The warning comes as the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act strengthens requirements for Grade R education, highlighting the importance of ensuring children are properly prepared for this critical transition point.