SA Steps Up Efforts to Expand Early Learning for Children: President
SA Steps Up Efforts to Expand Early Learning for Children: President
Government, early learning practitioners, communities, businesses, funders, and civil society are gathered in Gauteng for the 2nd Bana Pele Leadership Summit, aimed at strengthening early childhood development and opened by Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Goal
The Department of Basic Education's Bana Pele campaign, meaning "children first" in Sesotho, aims to ensure every child aged three to five has access to affordable, equitable, and quality early learning programs by 2030, an official statement said.
The Challenge
With over 1.3 million children aged three to five not enrolled in any early learning program, most from poorer communities, the government has raised ECD investment, including subsidies, over the past two years, targeting another 900,000 by 2030.
The Progress
The Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive has brought thousands of previously unregistered ECD programs into the formal system.
The government says early learning investment pays off for children, families, and local economies and is calling for more private-sector involvement, including through subsidized fees.
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