• South Africa launches a 496 m rand ECCE Outcomes Fund for preschool learning

• Program targets 2,000 centers and 115,000 children aged 3-5

• Initiative addresses major gaps in early learning and literacy outcomes

The Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) launched the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Outcomes Fund in South Africa on Tuesday. The independent trust fund is dedicated to improving education worldwide.

The 496 million rand ($29 million) program is deployed in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and several local and international donors: the LEGO Foundation, Yellowwoods, Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation and Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. The three-year fund aims to transform preschool learning.

It plans to support 2,000 early childhood programs and offer a strong school foundation to 115,000 children aged 3 to 5, notably in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo. The initiative combines the creation of new structures and the strengthening of existing centers to improve pedagogical quality, safety and child development.

Deployment will be handled by local NGOs in collaboration with provincial governments. This approach, according to the partners, allows the program to be anchored in existing community expertise and networks.

"This Fund represents the kind of bold, collaborative action South Africa needs to shift early learning at scale," said Siven Maslamoney, executive director at Yellowwoods. Minister of Education Siviwe Gwarube said this approach is new, blending collaboration, accountability, results-orientation and a full focus on the child. Ida Thyregod of the LEGO Foundation added that investing in early childhood is one of the smartest and most transformative initiatives one can undertake.

This funding comes as nearly 1.3 million South African preschool-aged children lack access to a structured educational program, according to recent government data. Furthermore, a 2023 University of Pretoria study reveals that 81% of South African 10-year-old students struggle to read and understand a text, highlighting the importance of strengthening education from the youngest age.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou