Penreach

On 16 June 1976, thousands of young people stood up for their right to quality education, changing the course of South African history forever.

Why was education so important to the youth of 1976?

Nearly 50 years later, young people continue to face challenges, but they also hold the power to shape the future through their voices, actions, and leadership.

How can learners contribute to their schools and communities today?

Join the conversation:

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing young people today, and how can education help overcome it?

Happy Monday!

If today is feeling a little grey, we hope these Play Day moments bring a smile to your face.

Sometimes seeing children laugh, play and simply enjoy being children is all the pick-me-up we need.

Enjoy the album 😊

Feel free to share your favourite moments or photos in the comments too!

Today was filled with laughter, learning and plenty of play. 🎈

Thank you to all the 110 ECD centres, Mrs Mpumalanga, ClemenGold Foundation, Child Welfare SA Nelspruit - 10 Ehmke Street, South African Police Service, Penryn South Africa and Laevelder / Lowvelder for spending the day with us as we celebrated the power of play together.

Did you snap a special moment today? We’d love to see it! Share your photos and videos using so we can relive all the smiles, laughter and fun with you.

Watch this space — we’ll be sharing more moments from the day soon. 😁

Mpumalanga Department of Education Department of Basic Education South Africa

ONLY 1 DAY TO GO!

If you’ve been following the conversation around Early Childhood Development in South Africa, you’ve heard one message rise above the rest: play matters.

And when you stop to watch a child at play, you begin to understand why.

What looks like fun, like games, like noise and laughter — is actually a young mind working hard. Figuring things out. Trying again. Imagining what could be. It’s confidence being built one small win at a time. Friendships forming. Emotions being felt and understood. A sense of self beginning to take shape.

Play is not a break from learning. It is the learning.

As we count down to our Play Day tomorrow, we invite you to really see the children in your life. To notice the learning in every laugh, every tumble, every moment of wonder. Because when we protect their right to play, we protect their future.

Scroll through the posters below — and share this with someone who needs to hear it today.

UNICEF Mpumalanga Department of Social Development SmartStart South Africa Department of Basic Education Mpumalanga Department of Education

2 days to go until PlayDay!

We’ve got a question for you this morning…

You arrive at PlayDay, take one look around, and your first stop is…?

Pick your favourite using the block number (A1, B4, C2, D3… you get the idea 😉) and tell us why.

No overthinking. Just your first instinct.

Let’s see which activity comes out on top!