The Power of Potential: Addressing Exclusions and Possibilities from Early Childhood Care and Education in Africa
Africa, as the “children’s continent,” provides rich insights into breakdowns leading to inequities and exclusions. Conversely, it offers breakthroughs that build resilience to support a more just and sustainable ECCE facing perpetual crises. This presentation is divided into three parts. It begins with a critical analysis of dominant ECCE models that have created exclusions based on, but not limited to, geographical location, socio-economic conditions, culture, language, abilities and gender. Such an analysis is critical given the changing global demographics and choices to be made – continuity along unjust ECCE pathways or disrupting them through radical change. The presentation continues into the power of potential that foregrounds the breakthroughs – local efforts to make ECCE relevant and responsive to the daily realities of young children and their families. In the concluding section, the leverage points are illuminated to support a call to action through networks of solidarity. Such structures defy majority and minority world ECCE polarisations. As such, they should pay deep attention to interdisciplinarity, intersectoral practice, cross-cultural exchanges, indigenous practices and equitable partnerships for change.
Professor Hasina Banu Ebrahim began her career as a teacher in the early years. She holds a PhD in the Constructions of Early Childhood with and for Children. She is a full professor and the UNESCO co-chair of Early Education, Care and Development at the University of South Africa. Her research coheres around Early Childhood at the Margins, specifically concerning policy, practice and workforce development. Her work has earned her the status of a rated researcher with the South African National Research Foundation. She has also won prestigious institutional and national awards for her research. She continues to be influential in the ECCE field through her expansive publications, international keynotes, appointments on task teams and advisory teams, and the convener of the knowledge generation working group in the Early Childhood Cluster in the African Union. She has led projects on knowledge transfer in ECCE, professionalisation of the ECCE workforce, and policy development for ECCE. Her current project is on Workforce Sustainability and System Building in ECCE.