Early education transforms lives

The leaders' declaration adopted at the end of the recent G20 summit in South Africa reaffirmed the group's commitment to tackling some of the world's most pressing challenges, from inequality and long-running conflicts to AI and climate change.

- JUSTIN VAN FLEET PIA REBELLO BRITTO

It also marked a historic milestone: for the first time, the G20 identified education as one of its top global priorities.

The declaration went on to highlight the urgent need to invest in children's early development, pledging to “advance a comprehensive approach” that recognises investment in early childhood care and education (ECCE) as “vital...for a country's social and economic future”.

This recognition is long overdue. In a world marked by economic volatility, the most effective investments are those made in people, and few yield greater returns than supporting children in their first five or six years of life, when they develop the skills that underpin long-term growth, social cohesion, and peace.

Today, we are failing far too many children before they even reach school age. Globally, more than 40% of preschool children — roughly 350 million — lack access to quality care. The result is a vast loss of human potential that holds back communities, economies, and societies.