New measures implemented to strengthen early learning in the Western Cape

3 December 2025 – Statement by Minister David Maynier, Minister of Education Western Cape

We will be implementing several measures from the start of the 2026 school year to improve early learning outcomes in the Western Cape.

Building strong foundational skills in literacy and numeracy by investing in the Foundation Phase remains a key priority for our province. 

In the 3rd term of 2022, we introduced an extra time allocation for Mathematics and reading in the Foundation Phase. An extra 2 hours per week allocated to reading and 1 extra hour per week for Mathematics, from within the existing school day. 

Given the positive feedback from our schools, the national Department of Basic Education recommended the implementation of the additional time in all provinces as an interim measure in 2023 and 2024, which the Western Cape extended until the end of 2025. 

We have informed schools that we will continue implementing this measure in 2026, so that developing these skills remains prioritised within the school day. 

We are introducing baseline assessments of literacy and numeracy skills for all Foundation Phase learners at the beginning of the school year. 

These will be informal, integrated assessments implemented by teachers using standardised tools, and detailed guidance has been provided for each grade and language. The data will be recorded to assist teachers, schools and the province to identify gaps in learning early, and to tailor our interventions to support learners. 

We have informed all schools that reading fluency benchmarks in the Foundation Phase will be implemented from the beginning of the 2026 academic year. 

Benchmarking per term, per grade is crucial in education because they serve as clear, measurable goals that guide teaching, learning, and assessment throughout the school year. 

When reading fluency is assessed regularly, using these benchmarks, the data from these results can guide teachers in planning their lessons and they can target specific skills or concepts where their learners struggle. It allows for differentiated instruction and timely interventions, ensuring that no learner is left behind. 

We have also launched the pilot phase of a structured numeracy intervention for teachers and learners in the Foundation Phase, following the success of our early-grade reading interventions for these grades.

The numeracy programme has been developed in partnership with Funda Wande with the support of their “Bala Wande” programme. In addition to the teacher training, the schools will receive teacher guides, learner books and Maths resource kits to support the new teaching skills, including items such as flashcards, posters and physical objects that can be used to demonstrate mathematical concepts.  

As part of the pilot, all Grade 1 teachers at 70 schools from across the province received training during October 2025. A full rollout with training for the remaining Grade 1 teachers in the province will follow in 2026, and is planned to cover the full Foundation Phase over the next 3 years.

We thank our officials, School Management Teams and Foundation Phase teachers for their support in prioritising early grade literacy and numeracy.

Working together, we can and will improve early learning outcomes in the Western Cape!