AOSIS calls on all authors to participate in the South African Journal of Childhood Education (SAJCE) journal’s 2026 special collection, Early Childhood Education within the rural context, that will be published in the open-access scholarly journal. Submit your latest research for consideration, contribute to the open-access content available to everyone, and share your expertise with a wider audience.

Timeline:

• Online full manuscript submission open: 15 January 2026
• Online full manuscript submission closes: 17 March 2026
• Expected publication date: 30 September 2026

South African Journal of Childhood Education 2026 special collection: Early Childhood Education within the rural context

Sustainable Societal development and the eradication of poverty and inequality is determined by the extend that a nation looks after its children. The development of programmes and interventions that would ensure children are taken care of from a very early age is therefore important. In South Africa, various policy documents and legislation acknowledge the significance of quality and equitable early childhood development. The White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Development (ECD) proposes a comprehensive and inclusive concept that defines and describes the processes conducive to the physical, mental, emotional, moral and social growth and development of children from birth to nine years of age. More so, given the history of South Africa in which the development of children from certain races was intentionally stifled, ECD also serves as an all-encompassing approach that protects and promotes the optimal development of those children in disadvantaged and marginalised areas.

ECD is globally recognised as the foundation for any nation’s upward mobility, both educationally as well as socially, and in terms of its overall development. In South Africa, ECD is valued for its potential to bridge the socio-economic divide between various groups of people and so contribute towards the social and economic transformation and development of the country. ECD is also recognised as important in tackling poverty and inequality, and in providing children with the foundation for future educational success, productivity, lifelong learning and development and well-being in adulthood. As a holistic process, ECD further intervenes during the rather sensitive brain development phase of a child, and when emotional, social, physical and cognitive development takes centre stage. ECD also contributes towards the realising of a sustainable SA as it gives effect to children’s rights, and in particular their rights to be protected, to be nourished, to be educated and to be cared for. As such ECD is a catalyst for correcting imbalances and exclusionary practices of the past and it is a potential equaliser especially as it relates to children in and education of rural spaces.

The SDG propagates for inclusiveness in its emphasis on the slogan that no child should be left behind. The South African rural context, however, resembles a space of exclusion and marginalisation. This as education provisioning is marred by resource constraints, inadequate school infrastructure, teacher shortages and various other limitations and systemic challenges which in various ways hampers the delivery of quality education. The delivery of quality ECD in rural spaces is equally stifled by a lack of training for ECD principals, inadequate resources and infrastructure, poor funding, inequitable access to ECD facilities, a variable quality of training for early years teachers, variable implementation of policy at various levels, aligning the policy with existing laws and regulations, addressing cultural diversity and inclusion, and effectively monitoring and evaluating the progress of the implementation and success of the policy. Unregistered ECD centres, a lack of safe and secure environment, lack of water and sanitation facilities and learning material, inability to meet registration requirements, unemployment and lack of parental support are further challenges that rural ECD centres and the delivery of quality ECD programmes are faced with.

Notwithstanding this reality and the plight of ECD within the rural context, we do not believe in a deficit view of and approach towards South Africa’s rural community. Rather we believe that locked up in rurality, are a wealth of assets such as indigenous knowledges, practices and opportunities that needs to be utilised for educational advancement and the development of the rural context (Nelson Mandela Foundation, 2005). We also believe that communities have hope, dreams and agency, that many rural teachers respond to rural educational needs; and that the rural context is endowed with possibilities that could and should be harnessed.

ECD is a national priority, and it is informed by a detailed policy and legislative framework that centres ECD as a catalyst of societal transformation and sustainable development. Our challenge as educators and researchers is to engage in promoting quality ECD programmes for sustainability and for an inclusive rural context. Therefore, this call invites us to grapple with fundamental questions about the nature and provisioning of Early Childhood Development within rural contexts in the 21st century. What is ECD in the rural context? What is the role of the teachers, the academics, and researchers and policymakers to sustain quality inclusive ECD for all learners? Papers be thought provoking and address philosophical, methodological, pedagogical and practical issues about the nature and provisioning of Early Childhood Development within rural contexts in Southern Africa and abroad.

Against this backdrop we invite submissions that aim to:

• interrogate early childhood development and early childhood care and education (ECCE) within the rural context;
• explore the concepts of inclusiveness in relation to children within a rural context;
• examine issues of social justice in early childhood education and Foundation Phase education;
• investigate the impact of neurodiversity and disability on teaching and learning in rural settings.
• explore ethical research in ECD;
• identify best practices in literacy and numeracy development strategies for learners in rural ECD contexts;
• reflect on practitioners and principals and the management of centres;
• examine the implementation of various related pedagogies; and
• explore the dynamics between the community and centres, as well as between the various departments involved in the effective delivery of ECD services.

Recommended topics

Early Childhood Education as it manifests in the rural contexts and its relationships with:

• Inclusion and exclusion
• Social justice
• Context and realities
• Access, quality and equity
• Health, nutrition and well-being
• Practitioners, caregivers and training
• Neurodiversity
• Agency and identity
• Children who are differently abled (disability)
• Cross-Cutting and Comparative Perspectives
• Policy, governance and systems
• Innovation, Technology, and Future Directions
• Poverty and unemployment
• Disadvantage and marginalisation
• Teacher preparedness
• Ethics and research

Manuscript information:

The author guidelines include information about the types of articles received for publication and preparing a manuscript for submission. Read the full submissions guidelines.

Submission procedure:

When submitting your manuscript to the South African Journal of Childhood Education (SAJCE), choose ‘Early Childhood Education within the rural context’ as the article type. You can access the submission portal on the journal’s website after logging in with your personal credentials. For further information on the submission process, visit the journal procedure page.

All submissions will undergo an anonymous review process to guarantee high scientific quality and relevance to the subject. The Editor-in-Chief will make the final decision on acceptance, revision, or rejection based on the feedback from the reviewers.

We will be happy to provide you with any assistance during the submission and application process. Kindly enquire at submissions@sajce.co.za.

All submissions and inquiries should be directed to the attention of the guest editors:

• Dr Kevin Teise, Sol Plaatje University, kevin.teise@spu.ac.za
• Dr Glynnis Daries, Sol Plaatje University, glynnis.daries@spu.ac.za
• Dr Seipati Baloyi-Mothibeli, University of the Free State, BaloyiMothibeliSL@ufs.ac.za

We would be honoured to receive a positive reply from you and look forward to receiving your manuscript.