By Thapelo Molefe
In a groundbreaking move to reshape the future of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in South Africa, stakeholders at the Bana Pele 2030 Roadmap Leadership Summit have set an ambitious funding benchmark—80% of every rand raised for ECD must go directly to children.
This bold commitment, spearheaded by leaders in government, civil society and business, aims to ensure that financial resources are not swallowed by administrative overheads but instead serve the nation’s youngest citizens where it matters most.
The summit, which brought together experts and policymakers from across sectors, reinforced a child-first approach to ECD funding, emphasising the urgent need to simplify bureaucracy and enhance investment in early learning initiatives.
“The money must go to the child,” was the rallying cry echoed throughout the discussions at the summit, as stakeholders stressed the importance of ensuring direct impact rather than diluting funds into operational costs.
Beyond the financial pledge, the roadmap lays the foundation for lasting change by prioritising multi-sectoral collaboration. Stakeholders agreed to align their efforts with national development plans to drive efficiency, sustainability, and measurable impact.
“There will be no quick wins here,” the summit participants acknowledged. “This is about staying the course, making strategic investments, and seeing them through to 2030.”
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube addressed critical questions about funding and the path forward for ECD expansion. Speaking to Inside Education, the minister addressed questions on the R10 billion allocated in last week’s budget to ECD.
“The finance minister has allocated R10 billion that will go towards early childhood development, which is some of the work that we are doing here today with the Bana Pele ECD summit, because we want to make sure that we expand and extend early childhood development to every single child in South Africa. Currently, 1.3 million children in the country don’t have access to quality ECD, and we want to make sure that there is universal access,” Gwarube stated.
The minister also explained how funding will be structured, with provinces expected to follow the 80-20 budgeting principle—80% allocated to employee costs and 20% to goods and services.
She also addressed the quality of ECD practitioners and their training.
A major obstacle to ECD accessibility remains the complex regulatory framework that hinders registration of centres and programmes.
The Bana Pele mass registration drive emerged as a crucial solution, with commitments to simplify compliance, reduce red tape and equip local governments with the tools to support practitioners in meeting requirements without compromising quality.
A pressing concern raised during the summit was the financial insecurity faced by ECD practitioners, with 90% of them earning below minimum wage. Stakeholders acknowledged that a sector built on the backs of underpaid workers was unsustainable.
The roadmap includes efforts to elevate and professionalise the sector, ensuring fair wages and creating opportunities for young, innovative minds to enter the field.
“We are building an ECD sector that is not just about care but is also a legitimate, economically productive industry,” the stakeholders said. “We need to recognise the incredible human beings who are shaping the foundation of our future generations.”
While access remains a key focus, participants were quick to highlight that access without quality was meaningless. The roadmap calls for rigorous tracking of both short-term and long-term outcomes, ensuring that investments translate into tangible improvements in childhood education and development.
Business Leadership South Africa chairperson Nkululeko Nyembezi emphasised that investing in ECD was critical to building South Africa’s future.
“The quality of early learning determines the kind of country we leave behind,” she noted.
Highlighting research showing up to 17 times return on investment in ECD, Nyembezi urged a shift from fragmented efforts to a coordinated national strategy.
She stressed that corporate support should not rely on legislation but on a partnership model, with business already investing R11 billion annually in education.
“The private sector is stepping up, but greater alignment with national plans is needed,” she said.
Nyembezi commended the department for bringing structure and coherence to the sector and called for a united effort in executing the roadmap.
“Sustainability depends on collective action—investment in ECD is an investment in resilience, leadership and a stronger society,” she concluded.
With the 2030 goal set, the real work begins now.
INSIDE EDUCATION
