SA President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Monday, delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Bana Pele Leadership Summit in Sandton, Gauteng.
Led by the Department of Basic Education, the Summit aims to strengthen cooperation among the government, private sector, civil society, communities and philanthropic organisations to achieve universal access to quality early learning by 2030.
FirstRand Head of Social Investing Kone Gugushe said the initiative recognised that improving the broader education system required greater attention to children’s earliest years. “For us to improve the outcomes of our education sector, we really do need to focus on and start with early childhood development, making sure that it is of good quality and accessible to all,” Gugushe said.
FirstRand has supported early childhood development (ECD) for several years, with practitioner training forming the main focus over the past five years.
The financial services group works with about 12 training organisations operating across all nine provinces. “We believe that the practitioner is the glue that ensures that what happens at a centre is of the best quality and can be provided to each and every child,” Gugushe said.
FirstRand also supported data collection and standardisation for the Thrive by Five Index, which assesses whether children younger than five are meeting developmental milestones and are prepared for school.
The 2025 Index found that children enrolled in ECD programmes generally performed better than children who were not enrolled.
Practitioner training and qualifications also influenced the quality of learning, including the successful use of play-based teaching methods. “The two biggest levers are that children must be enrolled and practitioners must be qualified,” Gugushe said.
Infrastructure, learning materials and nutrition were also important to children’s development.
Gugushe encouraged families to enrol children in ECD programmes where possible.
Families unable to access centres could support development through play-based learning, reading and regular educational interaction at home. “Reading is very important, as is spending practical time with children and teaching using things available at home,” Gugushe said.
–ChannelAfrica–
