The Department of Basic Education (DBE), in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has reached an important milestone in strengthening Early Childhood Development (ECD) through the finalisation of Curriculum Implementation Support Packs in various South African languages.
The process that took place at the Birchwood Hotel in Benoni from 6 to 23 September 2026, convened curriculum specialists, language experts, provincial representatives and ECD practitioners to ensure that the resources are accurate, consistent, contextually relevant, developmentally and linguistically appropriate, and accessible to practitioners across the country.
The quality assurance process began in March 2026, when experts from all nine provinces reviewed the resources. The current phase focuses on terminology, titles, subtitles and age cohorts to ensure consistency and accuracy across the different language versions. To celebrate the completion of the review process, the DBE and UNICEF hosted a Heritage Day celebration dedicated to all the reviewers. The celebration was held under the theme, “Celebrating Our Heritage, Culture and Diversity.”
During the celebration, Director for ECD, Dr Janeli Kotze, outlined the purpose of the process and emphasised the importance of carefully reviewing and refining the language versions before implementation. The collaborative work aims to support a common standard of quality whilst ensuring that the resources remain relevant to South Africa’s diverse linguistic and cultural context. It also seeks to equip practitioners with materials that support meaningful, play-based learning experiences for young children.
Opening the session, Chief Director: Foundations for Learning at the DBE, Ms Kulula Manona, expressed appreciation to the officials, practitioners, language experts and partners who contributed to the development and translation of the resources. She highlighted the importance of mother-tongue learning and indigenous languages in creating meaningful learning and play opportunities for young children.
Acting Deputy Director-General, Mr James Ndlebe, commended everyone involved and emphasised that the work goes beyond translation. He highlighted the role of language in preserving culture, values, identity and dignity, while underscoring the importance of quality early learning in laying strong foundations for children’s development. His message reinforced the value of the collective effort to ensure that young children can access learning resources that reflect their languages, cultures and experiences.
UNICEF Deputy Representative, Mr Irfan Akhtar, reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to working with the DBE and its partners to strengthen ECD and expand access to quality early learning opportunities. He described the seven-month journey as an investment in current and future generations and encouraged provinces, districts and practitioners to actively use and share the materials once finalised.
UNICEF representative, Ms Lungile Mdluli, expressed appreciation to everyone involved and outlined the next phase, which will include typesetting, design, and the development of an online course to support practitioners in using the materials effectively.
The successful finalisation of the multilingual Curriculum Implementation Support Packs marks a meaningful achievement in strengthening ECD in South Africa. The rollout is expected to begin in 2027 through a pilot in selected provinces and languages before progressing towards a broader national rollout. This approach will provide an opportunity to strengthen implementation and incorporate lessons learnt from the pilot phase. Through continued collaboration between the DBE, UNICEF, provinces, language experts and practitioners, the initiative is paving the way for accessible, culturally relevant and quality resources that will support stronger learning experiences and help build a solid foundation for lifelong learning amongst South Africa’s youngest learners.