This past week, Puleng Motsoeneng represented the Ntataise Network at the Free State Primary School Education Summit in Bloemfontein, joining a panel focused on how we can work together to build stronger foundations for learning.

Puleng brought the voice of the early years into the room, highlighting what we in the sector know well: the journey to quality education does not begin in primary school. It starts long before, in the early moments, relationships, and environments that shape how children grow, learn, and thrive.

Hosted by the Free State Department of Education, the Summit marked a welcome shift. A province known for its strong secondary school performance is now turning its attention to the early grades and to the systems that support learning from the start.

In the words of MEC Dr Maboya, “We are summoned to move beyond paperwork and policies, and to focus our hearts and hands on what truly matters: building the foundation of the nation – brick by brick, child by child, classroom by classroom.”

The Summit centred four key priorities:

• Placing foundational learning, especially literacy and numeracy, at the core of all education efforts
• Strengthening teacher development and inclusive pedagogy for long-term impact
• Ensuring schools have the resources they need to support early learning
• Building stronger collaboration across the education system

As a Network, Ntataise welcomes this renewed recognition of how early childhood development and primary schooling are linked. We remain committed to supporting practitioners, families, teachers, and partners, and to making sure that no step in a child’s learning journey is left to chance.

Together, we are building from the ground up.