The 2nd Education Working Group (EdWG) convened at Sun City, North West Province, from 27–29 May 2025. Ahead of the main meeting, two thematic seminars took place at Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge and Sun City Resort. The first seminar dove into “New Solutions for Population-Level Access to Quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE),” exploring innovative strategies to enhance education accessibility. The second seminar focussed on “Mutual Recognition of Qualifications in a Global Context,” examining approaches to harmonise international education standards and facilitate global mobility for learners and professionals.
A two-day meeting of the G20 EdWG also took place from 28–29 May 2025, at Sun City Conference Centre focussing on two critical themes: “Re-imagining plural pathways to a highly skilled ECCE workforce and the role of minimum qualification requirements” and “Measuring what matters: Implementing quality assurance initiatives for ECCE programmes”. These discussions stemmed from the first strategic priority chosen for South Africa’s G20 presidency: Quality Foundational Learning – The role of ECCE in improving foundational learning outcomes. The discussions on the development of a skilled workforce for ECCE provided insightful contributions on workforce challenges, innovative solutions and the imperative of measurement and quality assurance.
A key theme echoed throughout the discussions was the significant barriers to expanding access to quality ECCE. Countries shared concerns over large class sizes, high staff turnover, gaps in training, inadequate financing, and gender disparities in the profession. These realities highlight an urgent need to strengthen workforce development efforts, ensuring qualified and well-supported professionals remain at the heart of foundational learning. The conversations emphasized the need to refine qualification frameworks, improve in-service support for educators and practitioners, and invest in policies that foster professional growth. While each country’s context is unique, shared challenges offer opportunities for global cooperation and learning.
A broad human resourcing strategy is required to build a sustainable ECCE workforce. A few foundational approaches emerged: Enhancing Workforce Status: Improved remuneration to aid recruitment and retention; Defining Qualifications: Clear standards for ECCE educators; Equitable Pre-Service Training: Ensuring access to foundational preparation; and Ongoing Professional Development: Supporting practitioners through structured in-service programmes. Innovative models shared by participating countries illustrate diverse approaches to professional development, including online platforms, play-based pedagogical training, STEAM education integration, bilingual instruction and multi-pathway qualification models. Many countries also highlighted mentoring, coaching, peer learning, and stakeholder collaboration as essential components of workforce strengthening. An important topic was the inclusion of home-based and informal ECCE providers in qualification frameworks, with micro-credentialing emerging as an enabling mechanism to bridge gaps and support broader workforce participation.
As discussions unfolded, the importance of “measuring what matters” took centre stage. Investment in robust data systems, monitoring and evaluation is critical to ensuring that ECCE efforts translate into meaningful outcomes. Defining structural and process quality variables offers a lens through which different aspects of ECCE can be assessed, ranging from curriculum and resources to Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM). Additionally, setting clear standards provides an essential framework for scaling quality education across diverse contexts.
As deliberations concluded, participants were reminded of the existing global commitments upon which discussions are built, including the Tashkent Declaration. Moving forward, the South African G20 Presidency, guided by the theme “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability,” provides a meaningful opportunity to deepen collaboration and commitment to ECCE workforce development. Looking ahead, the discussions will shift toward priority two, Mutual Recognition of Qualifications in a Global Context and, later, priority three, Education Professional Development for a Changing World. These themes will further shape strategies for strengthening foundational learning systems globally. By investing in its workforce, ensuring quality assurance and fostering international cooperation, ECCE can become a true driver of equity and sustainability in education.
Next week, delegates participating in the G20 EdWG will descend on Durban’s International Conference Centre on 10 June 2025, to attend the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Indaba under the theme: “Exploring current opportunities for delivering ECCE for the future in resource-constrained environments”. The KZN Provincial Education Indaba continues to build-up to the G20 November Summit, bringing together heads of state and representatives of G20 countries and international organisations to discuss global and economic and business issues.