Central SA
Free State hosts G20 Education Indaba in Bloemfontein─── ZENANDE MPAME 16:16 Thu, 14 Aug 2025
“One of the very important messages that I’ve left with the Indaba is that we need to prioritise the foundations of learning,” said minister of basic education Siviwe Gwarube.
The flagship event of the Provincial Education G20 Indaba was hosted at the Central University of Technology on Thursday (14/8). It was led by the minister of basic education and education MEC Dr MJ Maboya.
The event, themed "Enhancing Educational Outcomes for a Sustainable Future," addresses two priorities: quality foundational learning in early childhood care and education, and professional development to empower teachers in a changing world.
Delegates from the world, including G20 and SADC representatives, academics, senior officials, teacher unions, and private sector partners, attended the indaba.
Gwarube also led a Bana Pele Early Childhood Development (ECD) Registration Clinic at the Thuso Imdaad ECD Centre as part of a mass drive to help ECD owners, practitioners, and caregivers register their centres for government support.
“This drive brings different departments to assist ECD practitioners to get registered so they will be able to have their practitioners, infrastructure upgraded, and have nutritious meals served at their centres.
“We want to make sure that our 0 to five-year-olds are thriving by the time they turn five, so that they may be able to read and read for meaning, by the time they get to primary school.”
“And that is the importance of the ECD and the foundations of learning; it all ties in very well in saying, How do we improve the outcomes of education in our country?” 
Siviwe Gwarube engaging with children at Thuso Imdaad ECD Centre. Photo: Zenande Mpame
ECD practitioners, ECD owners, parents, and principals gathered at the Thuso Imdaad ECD Centre to share their concerns regarding nutritional meals for children, funding for their centres, and to be assisted with the registration of their centres.
The Free State Education Indaba serves as a response to president Cyril Ramaphosa's recent call for public involvement in the G20 discussions, focusing on the education agenda for the 2025 summit.
“What we want to achieve with this G20 as a province, we want to develop a programme to come and support our ECD centres for them to provide quality foundational skills in literacy and numeracy,” said Free State acting education deputy director-general of Tsatsi Montso.
