Afrika Tikkun highlights how data can strengthen Bana Pele’s early learning impact

Following the second Bana Pele Leadership Summit, held on 19–20 October under the theme “From Blueprint to Movement”, Afrika Tikkun has applauded the initiative and its efforts to capture data across South Africa’s early childhood development (ECD) sector. The organisation says this creates an important opportunity to establish a baseline of children’s developmental standards, enabling the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to identify gaps, target areas requiring support and measure improvements over time.

Marc Lubner, CEO of Afrika Tikkun, a non-profit organisation working to develop children and youth through its Cradle-to-Career model, says understanding individual children’s developmental progress is essential to identifying learning gaps early and helping educators provide targeted support.

“While expanding access to ECD remains critical, the next step is to use the data collected to inform decisions about the quality of learning and the support each child needs,” he says.

The Bana Pele campaign, led by the Department of Basic Education, aims to advance ECD and achieve universal access to quality early learning by 2030. The summit’s theme, “From Blueprint to Movement”, reflects the shift from mapping ECD centres, registering facilities and counting children reached to using the data collected to inform action.

Each child is an individual

Theresa Michael, CEO of Afrika Tikkun Bambanani stresses that each child’s progress must be understood individually.

“Children from hugely different early-learning backgrounds can arrive at primary school at the same time but often don’t have the same foundations. Inevitably children develop and progress at different paces. A system that counts enrolment without understanding developmental progress risks missing that difference.”

“Through our intensive workbook-based approach at Afrika Tikkun, each child’s progress can be assessed individually. This feedback helps teachers and schools understand how a child is progressing and where additional support may be needed. It also helps us identify where teachers may need more training or support. This data can also be useful to the Department of Basic Education (DBE).”

Disability inclusion

Michael believes the data can help identify those with disabilities or additional learning needs, so they are also included and supported.

Collaborating with specialist partners, the Afrika Tikkun Bambanani team helps ECD centres become more inclusive through teacher training, developmental screening, adapted learning resources and practical changes to learning environments.

“Inclusion cannot just be something we talk about,” says Michael. “Some children need extra support, and some teachers want to help but don’t always know how to do so. We equip those teachers with the skills and confidence to include every child in the learning experience. At least five percent of the children on our programme are children with disabilities or additional learning needs.”

Tech enablement using AI, with responsible use and values

Harnessing emerging technology, Afrika Tikkun has introduced AI ways of thinking and redrafted its curriculum to include AI as a tool. This year alone, Afrika Tikkun has delivered 2,550 tablets with headphones to 400 ECD centres across nine provinces, giving more children opportunities to experience digital learning, says Lubner.

“Technology shouldn’t be something a child first encounters when they reach high school,” says Lubner. “Our children are growing up in a digital world, and they deserve to be part of it from the beginning.”

Lubner says early childhood development also provides an opportunity to introduce responsible thinking and values around technology from an early age.

“As society debates the risks of AI and how it should be regulated, we strongly believe early learning has a role to play in developing critical thinking, good values and responsible approaches to technology. This is an important part of preparing children for the future. We do this through our Cradle to Career Model.”

“If we don’t invest in children when they’re young, we spend years trying to fix learning gaps that could have been prevented. We can’t keep waiting until children are struggling in primary school before we intervene. By then, we are already playing catch-up,” says Lubner.

The Afrika Tikkun’s Bambanani programme is helped external ECD centres to register with the Bana Pele registration process through mass registration drives. Over 800 ECD centres, beyond their five sites, have been helped to register on Bana Pele/eCares, helping centres move towards formalisation and access to government support.

Speaking at the recent Summit, Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and President Cyril Ramaphosa both emphasised that while expanding access to ECD is important, children also need quality early learning and strong foundations.

Lubner says this must remain the focus as Bana Pele moves into its next phase.

“We want to keep the child at the centre. For us that means better information and data to provide better support, strengthen teaching and improve developmental outcomes. We have the data and technology to help guide this process, and we need to use them to make a meaningful difference in children’s lives.”