September 2025.
Newly published research on early childhood development (ECD) performance in the Northern Cape, paints a markedly improved picture compared to findings from the past three years. Commissioned by two solar plants in Kimberley and De Aar, the study assessed a sample of children aged four to five, and its encouraging results have earned formal commendation from the Northern Cape Department of Basic Education (NCDOE).
“We greatly appreciate and welcome the contribution that these two solar plants have made, in continuing to seek ways to strengthen early learning, with a special focus on ECD, in the Northern Cape Province. Research initiatives of this nature can only strengthen ECD services through quality assurance and identification of gaps in the sector,” shared NCDOE Directors, Basie Mathane and Mercia Fanie.
Using the Early Learning Outcome Measure, the study assessed children across five developmental domains, with the following results: Gross Motor Development, 89% are on track; Emergent Literacy and Language, 88% are on track; Cognitive & Executive Functioning, 82% are on track; Emergent Numeracy & Mathematics, 77% are on track and Fine Motor Co-ordination & Visual Motor Integration, 60% are on track.
Commenting on the results, Tandaza Teka, Economic Development Specialist for both Droogfontein Solar Power and De Aar Solar Power, said, “The 2022 ‘Thrive by 5 Index’ reported that only 37.4% of children in the Northern Cape were developmentally on track, with the remainder either behind or far behind. The results of our research study are encouraging for the future, considering that we’ve managed to achieve an over 40% overall increase in only three years.”
The solar plants’ ECD programmes form part of their broader socio-economic development commitment to prioritising quality education, particularly in early learning, as a foundation for long-term success.
Adding to the impact of this investment into ECD in the province, the NCDOE noted, “This initiative also contributes towards the attainment of universal access to quality ECD, prioritising the most vulnerable children, as proposed by the South African Government in its vision and impact statement for 2030.”
These ECD performance assessments were conducted across several months in 2024 by accredited and independent assessors, and facilitated by Custoda Trust, a registered and accredited training and development service provider. The full reports are available on the plant websites here: https://deaarsolar.co.za/childrens-readiness-report/ and https://droogfonteinsolar.co.za/childrens-readiness-report/
