South Africa: First Early Childhood Development Census Reveals Underfunded and Underqualified Sector

16 May 2022
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Tamsin Metelerkamp

The results of the Early Childhood Development Census 2021 were released on Friday, 13 May. The new data will be used for a centralised management information system to improve resource allocation for ECD centres. However, the results also show a sector in need of significant financial and training support.

The results of the first early childhood development (ECD) census -- the ECD 2021 Census -- highlight the urgent need for the government to expand access to funding and resources for early learning programmes.

Less than half of the surveyed ECD centres are registered with the Department of Social Development (DSD), while even fewer receive government subsidies.

From August 2021 to February 2022, the census collected data from 42,420 early learning programmes nationwide, representing about 1.6 million enrolled children. The aim was to gather information to develop a centralised management information system to improve resource allocation and oversight of ECD centres.

Access and quality within the ECD sector are two key outcomes for government in the management of this function, according to Kulula Manona, chief director for Foundations for Learning in the Department of Basic Education (DBE).

"The first thing that we have learnt through this data... there is a need...

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