On Universal Children’s Day, November 20th, about 200 Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners, activists, and concerned citizens convened at the Department of Basic Education (DBE) offices in Pretoria for a powerful ECD Sit-In where they handed over their memorandum calling for young children to be made a political priority. This event, led by Real Reform for ECD (RR4ECD), highlighted the urgent need for government prioritisation and funding to address the growing crisis facing young children.
The event drew attention to stark realities: 70% of children live in households unable to meet their basic needs, one in four children under five in South Africa are stunted due to chronic malnutrition, 1. 3 million 3 to 5 year old children from mostly poor households are not accessing any early learning programmes at all and 57% of children attending an early learning programme are not on track for cognitive and/or physical development. These figures underscore a national emergency. Meanwhile, R197 million allocated for the ECD nutrition pilot programme remains unspent—a disastrous oversight as malnutrition rates climb.
The memorandum was accepted by Mr NM Ramahuma from the Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube’s office, and Director of ECD, Janeli Kotze, with a commitment to reviewing the demands and responding with a way forward.
Key Highlights from the ECD Sit-In:
● #SpendTheMoney: Participants reiterated the urgent need to implement the ECD nutrition pilot programme before the end of the 2024/25 financial year. Without swift action, critical funds of about R197 million allocated by the National Treasury risk being returned or diverted, leaving millions of children at ECD programmes without access to the nutrition they need to thrive.
● #TableTheBill: Calls to table and pass the Children’s Amendment Bill were echoed, emphasising its potential to address structural and funding gaps and simplify registration processes. This legislation must be tabled before Parliament by the end of 2024 and passed by the end of 2025.
● #UpTheSubsidy: Attendees demanded the restoration of the R17 per child per day subsidy to R23 per day, equivalent to its 2019 purchasing power, with a phased increase to R46 per child by 2030. This is critical to ensure quality and holistic ECD programmes for young children.
The Way Forward
The ECD Sit-In served as a critical reminder of South Africa’s commitments to children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its own target of universal access to ECD by 2030. Despite these promises, underfunding and stalled policy progress continue to jeopardise the youngest and most vulnerable citizens.
The voices of the ECD sector are united in their demands:
1. Spend the Money: Utilise the R197 million on a national ECD nutrition pilot programme to combat stunting and malnutrition.
2. Table the Bill: Table to Children Amendment Bill before Parliament before the end of 2024 and pass it before the end of 2025 to ensure simplified registration processes for ECD programmes. Increase the Subsidy: Commit to restoring the R17 per child per day subsidy to its 2019 purchasing power of R23, and commit to increasing the subsidy to R46 by 2030 to ensure quality and holistic ECD services.
A Call for Accountability
Real Reform for ECD urges the DBE and government leaders to ensure that funds allocated for ECD are spent effectively and urgently. The consequences of inaction are dire: a generation of children are at risk of lifelong challenges due to malnutrition and lack of access to quality early learning.
As the financial year-end approaches, every moment counts. The government’s ability—or failure—to act decisively will define the future of millions of children and South Africa as a whole.
About Real Reform for ECD
Real Reform for ECD is a movement advocating for holistic, well-funded, inclusive and quality early childhood development services for all children. Our focus is to ensure an enabling legal, policy and regulatory environment for the provision and expansion of ECD services.
