President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that with a R10 billion budget allocation for Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives, South Africa will leave no child behind in ensuring universal access to the model.

Last week, during his budget speech, Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana allocated R10 billion towards ECD while also allocating an additional R19,1 billion to ensure teachers remain in classrooms.

Ramaphosa on Monday, speaking at the Bana Pele 2030 Roadmap Leadership Summit held in Johannesburg, admitted that the South African government erred when it failed to take ECD seriously. He said the government should have put the children first as children are the future of this country to ensure they thrive and succeed in the early stages of development.

"Starting early as a nation and as parents for early learning is our ultimate focus and most powerful lever we have and investing in ECD is not only about learning but about shaping the future of children who will help drive our future forward. We know this because for children are sponges and are always ready to suck in as much knowledge as possible and this has the potential to help us break the cycle of poverty," he said.

Ramaphosa was addressing the summit where various government, business, civil society, and education experts crafted a roadmap for universal access to quality ECD across the country.

Ramaphosa said this initiative is a crucial step toward ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has access to the early learning opportunities they need to thrive.

Minister of basic education Siviwe Gwarube said the figures indicate that South Africa, which is home to at least 7 million children aged 0-5 years, representing the country's future leaders, innovators, and change-makers has more than more than 1,3 million children that are not enrolled in any form of early childhood development (ECD) programme.

"About 1,3 million children are not enrolled in any ECD training programme—impacting their future in key subjects like Maths, Science, and Economics. Most of them are from poor communities. This unequal access to quality education means that we are deeply entrenching the inequalities that have come to define our country and our education system...When we talk about Early Childhood Development, we’re not just talking about education—we’re talking about the foundation for everything.

"This is where it all begins. The first few years of a child’s life shape who they’ll become, not just as learners in school, but as citizens, as professionals and indeed as future leaders of this country," she said.

Ramaphosa commended the minister of finance for prioritising ECD in his recent budget speech last week saying: "Last week the finance minister allocated R10 billion towards strengthening early childhood development. ECD in the end is vital and critical for developing foundational skills and this can significantly improve the future of children. We therefore welcome this initiative by government and civil society to work together to shape the future of ECD. I believe this is the most important as we stop talking about politics and other things."

Ramaphosa said universal access to ECD will ensure that no child is left behind as ECD access also improves the prospects of children in later years.

"With this we live no child should be left behind. We must ensure universal access, and this initiative emphasises importance of ECD. By focusing on comprehensive ECD we can mitigate challenges faced by millions of children to ensure children move up the ladder. This is not only about receiving an education but will ensure young children also receive proper nutrition.

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane said investing in ECD has significant returns and allows "us to save up in future costs as there is a ripple effect of ECD that can be felt across generations".

"It is for this reason that we have partnered to launch the Bana Pele initiative," he said.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za

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Ramaphosa: R10 Billion investment to transform early childhood development in SA