President Ramaphosa calls for accelerated ECD reform

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for accelerated reforms in early childhood development (ECD), urging government, businesses and communities to work together to ensure every child in South Africa has access to quality early learning by 2030. 

Addressing the Bana Pele Leadership Summit 2026 at the Galleria Arena and Conference Centre in Sandton on Monday, the President said investing in early childhood development is essential to preparing children for a rapidly changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, automation and technological advancement.

“A child cannot be prepared for the future unless that child is given a strong foundation in the present,” President Ramaphosa said.

He emphasised that while technology would transform how future generations lived, learned and worked, it could not replace the human interaction, care and foundational skills children needed to thrive.

“Technology may change the world. But it cannot replace the love, care, encouragement and human interaction that children need to develop,” the President said. 

The two-day summit, led by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) under the theme: “From Blueprint to Movement,” brings together government, business, civil society, communities and philanthropic organisations to strengthen collaboration toward universal access to quality early learning by 2030.

The gathering seeks to translate the Bana Pele Shared Blueprint into a coordinated programme of action, with discussions focusing on implementation progress, outstanding challenges and partnerships to expand access to early childhood development.

Building strong foundations

President Ramaphosa said early learning was no longer simply about providing childcare but about equipping children with the literacy, numeracy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for formal schooling and future employment. 

The transfer of early childhood development from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education in 2022 recognised the distinction between childcare and early education. 

“Sending a child to an early learning centre is not only about making sure they are safe and fed. It is about structured learning in early literacy and numeracy that prepares them for formal schooling,” he said. 

The President said early learning could help address developmental gaps that leave millions of children unable to read for meaning by Grade 4.

He added that children entering the education system in the coming years would need to adapt to technological changes and occupations that did not yet exist.

“We must therefore prepare our children not merely to use the technologies of the future, but to think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively and adapt to change,” the President said.

He said the Bana Pele Shared Blueprint provides a roadmap for universal access to ECD by 2030 by connecting support systems, strengthening data for planning and professionalising the sector through the registration of facilities and programmes and the training of practitioners.

The President acknowledged that South Africa had started late in establishing a formalised early childhood development system but said implementation should not be slow.

“I have often said that we are starting late in building a formalised early childhood development system. Yet starting late is better than never starting at all. As they say, better late than never.

“But it should not mean starting slowly. These reforms we have embarked upon in early learning are part of a broader effort to renew South Africa’s socio-economic architecture,” the President said.

Expanding access

Despite progress in expanding access, around one million children aged three to five are not enrolled in any early learning programme, while the cost of fees remains a barrier for many poor households. 

President Ramaphosa said the government was committed to reducing these barriers through additional funding for the ECD conditional grant and an increase in the subsidy per child per day.

However, he noted that too few eligible facilities were receiving the subsidy, making it necessary to intensify the Bana Pele Mass Registration Drive launched last year.

South Africa now has more than 39 000 registered early learning programmes, catering for over 1.6 million children.

The President said government is also cutting red tape that had prevented facilities from registering.

Revised norms and standards for early learning centres were gazetted earlier this year, while Cabinet had approved the Children’s Amendment Bill for submission to Parliament.

The proposed reforms are intended to simplify the rules governing early learning programmes and ensure registration requirements protect children without unnecessarily excluding centres serving poor communities.

“Our approach must be developmental. Where a centre does not meet the required standards, our first response should be to determine what assistance it needs to become compliant,” he said. 

He said government needs to uphold children’s health and safety while helping facilities improve, rather than allowing administrative complexity to become a barrier to opportunity.

In his 2026 State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa outlined commitments to expand the Bana Pele mass registration drive, increase subsidies for eligible children and make Grade R compulsory to strengthen the foundations of learning.

Economic investment

The President said investment in ECD had benefits extending beyond education, contributing to poverty reduction, women’s economic participation, job creation, improved child health and a stronger workforce.

Quality early learning enables children from disadvantaged households to begin formal schooling on a more equal footing with their peers from better-resourced communities.

It also allows parents and caregivers, particularly women, to pursue employment, start businesses, train or study when they know their children are safe and receiving early education. 

“Early childhood development fosters entrepreneurship and creates jobs,” he said, noting that unemployed women and young people, particularly in poor and rural communities, could train as practitioners and establish their own early learning centres.

The President also highlighted the role of early learning centres in supporting children’s health through nutritious meals, keeping vaccinations up to date and connecting families to health and social services.

He called on the private sector to increase its investment in the sector, saying businesses could help build and upgrade centres, train practitioners, subsidise access for children from poor households and provide learning materials, digital resources and connectivity.

“I would like to see early childhood development become a central part of corporate social investment and broader economic development strategies. Not simply because it is the right thing to do.

“But because it is one of the most effective investments we can make in the future prosperity of our country,” the President said. 

He said the private sector’s contribution should be viewed as an investment in future workers and a stronger economy, rather than simply a corporate reporting obligation.

Technology to support practitioners

While emphasising the importance of foundational learning, President Ramaphosa said technology could help expand the reach of early learning programmes when used to support, rather than replace, practitioners.

He cited an early reading application that provides phonics exercises, teaching materials and an online library of more than 4 000 books.

“Technology cannot replace teachers or books. What it can do is multiply what one well-trained practitioner can deliver, reaching many more children at different levels with the same resource,” he said. 

The President also acknowledged donors supporting the Early Childhood Care and Education Outcomes Fund, launched in December last year, saying government’s contribution had been matched by donors.

With support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), curriculum support packs are now available in all of the country’s official languages, while more than 70 non-governmental organisations were assisting early learning centres with documentation and first-aid training.

A collective responsibility 

President Ramaphosa called on municipalities, traditional and faith leaders, businesses, philanthropists and community organisations to strengthen their support for early childhood development.

He urged municipalities to work with the Department of Cooperative Governance and the South African Local Government Association to support early learning centres and adopt a developmental approach to compliance.

He also encouraged community leaders to visit centres, engage with practitioners and identify practical ways to assist them.

The President stressed that achieving universal access by 2030 would require sustained cooperation between government and the communities served by early learning programmes.

He said expanding access to early learning was also a way of giving effect to the constitutional right to basic education by establishing a stronger foundation for every child’s educational journey.

“Let us make sure that no child falls behind before they even reach school. Let us truly put our children first, Bana Pele,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za 

 

2