SADC MPs deliberate on infant education

SADC parliamentarians have been urged to promote policies that prioritise financing and investment in Early Childhood Development (ECD) education to achieve national development and put an end to poverty.

This came out on Tuesday at the Transnational SADC Parliamentary Forum meeting to discuss education financing for ECD and share experiences on national and sub-regional challenges, good practices and strategies to revamp actions and investment in ECD.

Organised by Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA), the function was attended by Members of Parliament from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Eswatini, while other participants joined virtually.

Officially opening the meeting, Zimbabwe’s chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education Cde Torerai Moyo said access to education was an indispensable human right which governments were obliged to provide to ensure “no child is left behind”.

“Investing in children is the right thing to do,” he said. “Children are the future of tomorrow and it is critical that we prepare them to take over when we are old, or when we are gone. Investment in ECD remains worryingly small in lower income countries as observed by the World Bank, which stated that globally, about 43 percent of the children under 5 years (about 250 million) risk missing out of developmental potential.

“Infant education is highly dependent on parents/caregivers and teachers for skills development. For Southern Africa, the majority of young children are also negatively impacted by a range of social and economic inequalities. This is indeed worrying, hence our convergence here to unpack some of these challenges and proffer solutions.”

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