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In South Africa, millions of children are born into circumstances that limit their access to quality early education. The belief that it takes a village to bring up a child guided our social fabric. But in today’s reality, amid deep inequality, widespread poverty and a persistent education crisis, it takes far more.
Early childhood development (ECD) is not just an education issue; it is a national emergency. Science has made it unequivocally clear: the first six years of life are critical for brain development, social-emotional growth and long-term wellbeing. According to the World Bank, investments in early childhood generate some of the highest returns in human capital, up to 13% a year through improved health, education and economic outcomes. And yet, in South Africa, quality ECD services remain underfunded, undervalued and inaccessible to many.
The numbers speak for themselves. While department of basic education has made notable progress in integrating ECD into the education system, many young children, especially those in rural and informal settlements, continue to fall through the cracks. According to a 2022 United Nations Children’s Fund report, only 41% of children aged three to five attend any kind of early learning programme. Even fewer have access to centres that are adequately resourced or equipped to cater to children with disabilities.
The government has taken steps to prioritise ECD. The migration of ECD oversight from the department of social development to the basic education department is a welcome shift. But, as experts have pointed out, structural change must be matched by implementation on the ground. Budget allocations, while increasing, remain insufficient when distributed across thousands of centres with varying needs. Worse still, funds are often delayed or diverted before reaching frontline service providers.
As emphasised by the ECD Census 2021, only 41% of centres reported receiving government subsidies. This figure is even lower in non-urban areas. If ECD is to become the bedrock of our education system, then funding must be targeted, reliable and transparent. It must be accompanied by interdepartmental collaboration, linking health, education, and social services, and a strong accountability framework to monitor outcomes.
Nation-building is not the work of the government alone. The private sector, civil society, academic institutions and families must recognise that early learning is everyone’s business. Corporates can contribute not only through funding, but also through strategic partnerships, knowledge sharing and technology innovations. NGOs, particularly those working at grassroots level, must be trusted and empowered to implement solutions that are contextually relevant and responsive to local needs.
Families, too, must be supported. Parents and caregivers are a child’s first teachers, yet many lack the resources, time, or confidence to fulfil this role. Evidence from The Lancet confirms that nurturing care in the home environment is essential for brain development. Public awareness campaigns, community support groups, and home-based learning tools must be expanded.
Importantly, the ECD workforce deserves recognition. Thousands of practitioners, mostly women, work tirelessly in under-resourced environments, often with minimal training and low pay. Professionalising the sector through accredited qualifications, mentoring, and career pathways is essential to improving the quality and sustainability of services.
One of the most urgent and overlooked problems is the inclusion of children with disabilities. As highlighted in a 2021 Human Rights Watch report, many children with disabilities are still excluded from mainstream ECD centres. Inclusive education cannot be a policy on paper — it must be a practice in every classroom.
This means training educators to work with diverse learners, equipping centres with accessible facilities, and fostering inclusive mindsets from the earliest age. The principle is simple: see the child before the challenge. Inclusion benefits everyone. It teaches empathy, collaboration, and respect for difference, values our country sorely needs.
The call is urgent, but the vision is within reach. A South Africa where every child, regardless of where they are born or their abilities, has a fair start in life, is not a pipe dream — it is a choice. One that we must make together.
To achieve this, we must move from pilot projects to scale, from silos to systems, and from short-term funding cycles to long-term investment strategies. A whole-of-society approach is not just desirable; it is necessary.
It will take hearts that care deeply, hands that work tirelessly, and heads that think boldly. But most of all, it will take a nation that rises to meet the moment.
Theresa Michael is the chief executive of Afrika Tikkun Bambanani.
