Tuesday, 29 October 2024, – As the Government of National Unity (GNU) prepares to table its Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday 30 October, the Real Reform for ECD Movement calls on leaders to prioritise transformative investments in early childhood development (ECD). The time to invest in ECD is NOW!
In his 2022 and 2024 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa recognised the need to expand access to ECD programmes. Yet in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 budgets, no more than 0.1% of consolidated government expenditure was allocated to early learning, nutrition support for children under the age of five or caregiver support.
The ECD subsidy, which is the main funding instrument for supporting early learning programmes, has been frozen at R17 per child per day since 2019, eroding its value by a quarter. Thousands of early learning programmes—and the children attending them—have suffered as a result of this funding freeze, with many struggling to survive.
The mini budget speech, to be delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, offers a critical opportunity to address the enduring gaps in ECD funding, access, and support that have left millions of young children in South Africa underserved and vulnerable.
One in four children are stunted due to chronic malnutrition—a statistic that has not changed since 1994, despite the nation’s food surplus and only 1 in 7 children living in poverty benefit from subsidised access to ECD. 1.15 million children aged 3-5 have no access to early learning programmes at all. South Africa’s youngest children cannot continue to be overlooked by public policy.
By committing to comprehensive ECD funding and strategic policy measures, the GNU can lay a foundation for economic resilience, improved educational outcomes, and inclusive development that benefits children, caregivers, and communities alike.
“We all know that a country that does not take care of its children is doomed. No house can stand without a proper foundation,” said practitioner Gugu Cresicia Nkomo from Leratong Day Care Centre in our People’s Manifesto for ECD. An investment in ECD is an investment in our future.
Aligned with the GNU’s pledge to improve the lives of young people and ignite inclusive economic growth, we urge the government to prioritise key interventions to ensure greater access to quality ECD services:
- Restore the value of the ECD subsidy to its original 2019 purchasing power of R23 per child per day immediately, at a cost of R1 billion. Commit to increasing the value to R46 by 2030.
- Increase access to the subsidy for an additional one million children by 2027.
- Double funding for ECD infrastructure and registration support to R300 million in 2025/26 to support the mass registration of early learning programmes.
- Ensure nutrition reaches all children eligible for the Child Support Grant (CSG)–regardless of whether they are attending registered or unregistered ECD programmes—by implementing a national nutrition programme at a cost of R1.65 billion.
- Implement a Maternity Support Grant from the second trimester of pregnancy at the value of the CSG at a cost of R3 billion annually, which automatically converts to the CSG at birth.
- Restore the value of the CSG (currently R530) to the food poverty line of R760 per month by 2025, with an immediate focus on children aged 0-5 years olds.
- Ensure provincial equitable share allocations to health, social services and ECD programmes increase at least in line with inflation.
The implementation of the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) 2030 Strategy for ECD would close the school-readiness gap for children from poorer households and reduce childcare burdens for two million women, promoting their economic participation. Furthermore, increased investment in ECD would support the creation of 70 000 small enterprises, 300 000 new jobs and improve the skills and working conditions among the women already employed in the sector.
With the DBE Strategy for ECD in place and a raft of data collection exercises having been undertaken by the DBE since it took over the ECD function in 2022, the nation now has an actionable roadmap to expand access to quality ECD services. The time has come for the Minister of Finance to back this plan.
Invest in holistic early childhood development NOW to secure the long-term gains of a nourished, thriving and learning youngest generation.
Statement Issued by Real Reform for ECD
Real Reform for ECD (RR4ECD) is a broad-based alliance advocating for holistic, well-funded, inclusive, and quality early childhood development (ECD) services. It supports a broad network of over 600 practitioners and is backed by more than 200 organisations. For more information, visit their website: https://www.ecdreform.org.za/
–
For more press releases click here: https://ngoconnectsa.org/category/press-releases/
