Ramaphosa says BELA Act will enhance focus on early childhood development
In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said this will ensure the country’s children are better prepared for formal schooling.
President Cyril Ramaphosa at an event hosted by Goldman Sachs in Johannesburg on 27 February 2025. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X
JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act will enhance focus on early childhood development (ECD).
In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said this will ensure the country’s children are better prepared for formal schooling.
Ramaphosa, who participated in last week’s Basic Education Lekgotla, said it discussed ways to best realign the sector, strengthen foundational learning and scale up teacher training.
His views follow findings of the 2030 reading panel, which shows 80% of grade 3 learners can’t read for meaning in any language.
READ: Ramaphosa emphasises urgent need for early childhood development
The impact of poor early childhood development on learners is not lost on President Ramaphosa.
He said one of the key reasons some learners don’t even make it to matric is because they never get the necessary grounding in their foundational years.
Reflecting on the apartheid era’s Bantu education, he said it was deliberate in its neglect of black children when it came to the provision of ECD.
Ramaphosa said the BELA Act will give government a much-needed push to address the issue.
He said all stakeholders in the education space are committed to prioritising foundational learning.