SA launches R496m fund to boost early childhood learning

The basic education department has announced a fund of R496m for advancing early childhood care and education outcomes, aimed at giving 115,000 children a better start. Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube unveiled the initiative in Midrand on Wednesday, calling it the largest early learning outcomes fund in the world and a bold shift in how the country invests in young children. “This is not just a fund.

It is a new way of doing things in South Africa — collaborative, accountable, outcomes-driven and unapologetically focused on the child.” Gwarube said the fund is part of the government’s 2030 ECD strategy and the Bana Pele blueprint. It will help expand access to quality early learning over the next three years. She stressed that early learning remains one of South Africa’s most effective tools to break cycles of inequality.

“The initiative will strengthen and establish learning programmes at 2,000 centres, focusing on children before they enter formal schooling.” The programme will roll out from January 2026 in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, led by South African NGOs including SmartStart, ELRU, Ntataise, Impande, The Unlimited Child and Bridges Outcomes Partnerships Yellowwoods executive Siven Maslamoney said the initiative shows what is possible when public and philanthropic funding align. “Every rand must deliver real improvements for young children. The fund is a bold and kind collaborative action South Africa needs.” While the launch is a major milestone, partners say it marks the beginning of long-term reform.

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Chief programmes officer, Milena Castellnou, said over the next three years, the programme will generate evidence to support a future, larger mechanism aimed at reaching far more children. “It is a foundational step toward sustainable, scalable and long-term impact for South Africa’s young children,” Castellnou said.

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