This article attempts to understand citizenship and children’s human rights in
the context of poverty and inequality in South African society. It reviews some
of the policy texts pertinent to Early Childhood Development, particularly
Education White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Education and White Paper 6 on
Special Education. The article speaks to the discrepancy between the existing
normative framework of society and its reality. It seeks to do this through a
discussion of the ‘glossy rhetoric’ of education policies and legislation
informed by human rights, social justice and a democratic citizenship
discourse and the actual realization of this promise.