Gauteng allocates R734m to boost ECD
The Gauteng Department of Education will allocate R734 million to boost Early Childhood Development (ECD) during the 2025/2026 financial year.
This is out of a total budget of R68 billion.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane briefed the media on Sunday following his department’s budget vote in the provincial legislature last week.
Chiloane said the province would focus on expanding access to Grade R across all public schools and ensuring child readiness for primary school.
He said 800 ECD practitioners are currently in training, with the aim of absorbing them into primary schools.
“We are training practitioners to NQF Level 6 standards, and we are creating seamless pathways from home-based care to formal schooling,” he added.
“This is a key focus area for the department because we do understand that as you invest in ECD, as we invest in small children at a younger age, the economic benefits are far greater.”
Chiloane said another R2.2 billion will be allocated to promote quality education.
This would include measures to boost language and literacy skills, mathematics and science advancement and technical skills development.
Chiloane also allocated R2.9 billion to school safety, saying that schools must be sanctuaries of safety and centres of community.
“This safe schools budget largely covers, amongst others, our school nutrition programme, which serves 1.73 million learners daily, and our transport programme, which serves 228,592 learners.
“Currently, we have deployed security personnel that include security, patrollers and our partners in police service. We have covered 1,500 schools.”
Chiloane described the budget as more than resource allocation, “but a representation of the Gauteng government’s commitment and investment in every child”.
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