We cannot afford to scrap R10-billion budget for Early Childhood Development

Only 68% of children between three and five attend an Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme. Archive photo: Mkhuseli Sizani

• The budget speech Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana planned to present on 14 February included a R10-billion allocation for Early Childhood Development (ECD) over three years.
• This would have grown the ECD subsidy from R17 to R24 per child per day, increased funding for ECD infrastructure, and allowed 700,000 more children to be subsided, bringing the total of children on ECD subsidies to 1.5-million.
• After an impasse between governing parties, the speech was postponed to Wednesday, 12 March.
• The Real Reform for ECD Movement wants the government to stay committed to increase funding for the sector.

My name is Lashiwe. For the past 11 years, I’ve run an ECD centre in a Gauteng township. Sixty-five children rely on me for care, love, and safety. But every day, I’m not sure if we’ll have enough to provide even the basics — food, learning materials, and a safe space for them to grow.

I’m one of hundreds of thousands of women who feed, clean and care for children in South Africa daily. Yet 90% of us earn under the minimum wage. Without us, our country and its citizens will not work.

Only a minority of ECD centres in the country receive subsidies from the government. R17 can barely get you a loaf of bread, but this is what our government pays ECD centres per child per day. It’s getting harder and harder to keep going. The subsidy has stayed the same since 2019. It is meant to cover salaries, food, learning materials, and the building’s upkeep.

I’m among more than 1,000 educators in the Real Reform for ECD Movement, which is calling on the government to commit to increasing funding for ECDs. Our children cannot continue to wait for our political leaders to decide that they matter. One election cycle is a lifetime in the eyes of a four-year-old.

I regularly attend meetings of our local forum of ECD centres. Very few of our members receive any support from the government - monetary or otherwise.

Many parents in our communities cannot pay for ECD. High rates of unemployment, low wages, and inflation mean that their children are left out of early education and start school unprepared. The proposed increase to the ECD Budget is a critical lifeline.

Parents, like Mavimbela from the East Rand, are faced with impossible choices. “My children go to a good pre-school around the corner, but I cannot afford it. Without the subsidy, my children may stop going altogether,” Mavimbela told me.

Dingane, who runs a small centre nearby, faces unthinkable daily decisions. She has to choose between food for the children and facilities for her centre so she can meet some of the compliance requirements. She hopes these upgrades would maybe help her qualify for an ECD subsidy. But there are no guarantees.

At another centre, owner Lerato has been waiting for years for the subsidy. Every year, the number of children whose families cannot pay fees only grows, but Lerato has not sent them home. She finds ways to feed and teach them. “I’m tired, and I need help,” she told me.

South Africa is filled with impressive educators like Dingane and Lerato. It is because of them that children are safe, learning, and fed. But our country cannot ask for so much and give so little.

Subsidies work

The Department of Basic Education’s 2021 ECD Census confirmed what we have known for years: subsidised ECD centres have lower fees and are more likely to offer fee exemptions to families who can’t afford their monthly fees.

We can do better. In townships and rural areas, we wrestle between affordability and quality. This is not a choice we should be forced to make, it’s not what our children deserve, and it’s not what will make our country strong.

We know that children who attend well-resourced ECD centres are more likely to perform better academically throughout their lives.

Only 68% of children between 3-5 attend an ECD programme and less than half of four- to five-year-olds who attend early learning programmes are developmentally on track. One in four children in South Africa is stunted by age five, and four out of five children can’t read for meaning by grade 3. Caring for children is the right thing to do today, and if we take it seriously, we can break the cycle of poverty.

Our government must recognise that quality ECD is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. We have big challenges in township and rural communities, but we can overcome them if we are taken seriously. It’s clear that the time for action is now, the government must approve a budget that prioritises early childhood development. Our children’s futures depend on it.

Mparadzi is an ECD centre principal and a member of the Real Reform for ECD Movement.

The views expressed are not necessarily those of GroundUp.

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