The DA applauds the Minister of Basic Education’s launch of the R496 million Education Outcomes Fund, South Africa’s largest outcomes based investment in Early Childhood Development. This is an important step toward giving more young children the strong foundation they need to succeed.
The Fund will enable:
- 115,000 children to access quality early learning programmes.
- 2 000 ECD centres to receive structured support to improve teaching and learning environments.
- A three-year delivery window with clear, measurable targets to track progress.
We especially welcome the shift toward an outcomes-based approach that ties investment to real improvements in early learning, a model long advocated for by the DA. By focusing resources on evidence-backed interventions, this Fund has the potential to reduce the early learning gaps that widen long before children reach Grade 1.
We fully support this move toward accountability, data-driven delivery and early investment. The DA will monitor implementation closely to ensure that this R496 million commitment delivers the outcomes promised to South Africa’s youngest learners.