The National Planning Commission has published the National Development Plan for South Africa which identifies the main national development objectives for the period 2011 – 2030 and provides a road map of interventions to realise these objectives.The priority development challenges which the plan aims to address are: the low levels of employment; and the poor quality of education for the majority of South Africans.

The prioritisation of early childhood development features prominently in the plan. The plan’s proposed interventions to remedy the poor quality of educational outcomes in South Africa starts with early childhood development investments. The plan states that by 2030 South Africa must have high quality early childhood education with access rates exceeding 90% and quality schooling with globally competitive literacy and numeracy rates.

The plan recognises that achieving quality education requires investments in early childhood, starting with improving proper nutrition and diet, especially for children under the age of 3 years and promoting other key early childhood interventions.

Other educational interventions include improving management of the education system, improving the capacity of school principals and improving teacher performance and accountability.

The key elements of the plan include:

• The growth and development of an economy that grows faster and is more inclusive.
• Improved infrastructure financing, planning and maintenance.
• Transition to a low-carbon economy that is able to generate more jobs.
• An inclusive integrated rural economy.
• Revised settlement patterns which meet the needs of citizens and addresses the spatial effects of apartheid.
• Improving the quality of education.
• The provision of quality health care.
• A comprehensive social protection package including grants, contributory retirement and risk benefits as well as social wage benefits such as no-fee schools, free basic services and subsidised transport.
• Building safer communities where women and children are not at risk.
• Reforming the public service by professionalising it.
• Fighting corruption through deterrence, prevention and education.

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Click here to view the National Development Plan: Vision 2030