South Africa calls for greater investment in early childhood education

JOHANNESBURG, May 4 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube on Monday called for immediate and sustained investment in early childhood care and education, in an effort to strengthen learning outcomes and improve economic prospects across Africa.

Addressing the World Bank's Southern and East Africa Regional Childcare Conference in Johannesburg, Gwarube warned that more than 60 percent of children in South Africa are not developmentally on track by age five.

She noted that many disparities within the education sector begin long before formal schooling, reinforcing the need for increased investment in early childhood care and education to secure long-term economic prospects.

"Learning does not begin in Grade 1; it begins in the earliest years of a child's life. If we fail to act during this critical window, we entrench inequality before formal education even begins," she said.

Gwarube highlighted that government work is already underway, citing a 10-billion-rand investment to support the early childhood care and education over the next three years.

She also noted that the South African government had registered over 13,000 centers in a single financial year and is looking to raise millions more through private-sector collaborations to support rural communities. Enditem