Leslee Udwin, Founder and President of Think Equal
Education has always been the prime engine of progress, with early years education being where it all takes root. Mandela declared that “education is the most powerful weapon we have to change the world”. Yet for too long, our efforts have focused almost exclusively on helping children read, write, and count in pursuit of economic growth and believing that high numeracy and literacy levels would lead to prosperity.
But it’s increasingly clear that traditional academic achievement alone is not enough. If we are serious about shaping a generation capable of delivering and leading safer, healthier, and more prosperous societies, we must address an uncomfortable truth: our education systems are missing a vital subject – social and emotional learning.
We treat literacy and numeracy as essential while leaving equally important skills – empathy, emotional regulation, resilience and respect for others – largely to develop by chance. At a time when our future depends on leaders able to navigate conflict, embrace difference and build inclusive communities, this is a gap we can no longer afford to ignore. It should no longer be the case that it is compulsory for a child to learn to read and count, yet the skills they require to understand themselves, value other human beings and build healthy relationships, are optional.
Encouragingly, a number of African countries are showing what a different approach can look like. The Gambia, Seychelles, Kenya, Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe have implemented our early-years social and emotional learning educational programme, Think Equal, country-wide. In South Africa, for example, more than 150,000 children are receiving Think Equal across 4,100 classrooms. And of the 39 countries globally where Think Equal has been adopted, 80% are African.
At the heart of the programme are 25 critical competencies and skills – empathy, emotional regulation, critical thinking, inclusion, celebration of diversity, environmental stewardship, peaceful conflict resolution, and gender and racial equality among them – embedded in beautifully crafted, narrative picture books that children encounter as stories, not lessons. Crucially, the programme is not a rigid, one-size-fits-all import: it can be tailored to different country contexts and incorporated into existing school timetables with minimal disruption.
Our movement was inspired by Nelson Mandela and is rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu: the African philosophy that our humanity is bound up with the humanity of others. It is therefore only right and just that Africa should lead this revolution in education and claim it as its own.
The science is compelling too: neuroscience shows that around 90% of brain development occurs before the age of 5, making the early years the critical formative years for human development. If we want our children to build healthy relationships, resolve conflict peacefully, and value both themselves and others, we cannot assume that these competencies simply emerge on their own. We must treat them as important parts of a subject that needs teaching, like we do with literacy and numeracy. An anxious child cannot learn effectively, so neglecting this dimension in the early years may also contribute to poorer learning outcomes in primary school and beyond.
Botswana provides a powerful example of what is possible. Since implementing Think Equal, there has been an 85% improvement in emotional regulation and a 110% increase in social competence across all pupils receiving the programme, alongside recorded reductions in emotional dysregulation, anxiety and withdrawal, and anger and aggression.
Described as “a life raft in very stormy seas” by Botswana’s President Duma Boko, the programme points towards a future generation of more compassionate and responsible children and leaders. Children who complete the programme will also be better equipped to navigate relationships, contribute to their communities and engage constructively with social issues.
Botswana is not acting in isolation. Growing interest in social and emotional learning across the continent reflects a wider recognition among individual African leaders that education must equip children not only with academic knowledge, but with the human capabilities they will need throughout their lives.
The question, then, extends far beyond any one country or continent. If the evidence tells us these skills matter, can governments anywhere afford to continue treating them as optional or absent? Can health ministries continue to haemorrhage billions of dollars on the mental health pandemic that is sweeping the world? Can prison ministries continue to manage overcrowded prisons due to a lack of preventative education?
Consider the economics. In the UK, it costs the same amount to fund 4,800 children to receive the Think Equal programme as it does to cover the incarceration costs for one year of one violent offender. Framed that way, the choice facing finance and education ministries is not really about affordability at all – it is about where in a child’s life we choose to intervene, and at what cost to the public purse later on.
Early intervention through social and emotional learning has the potential to strengthen children’s prosocial behaviours, wellbeing and mental health, while reducing risks later in life. Embedding these programmes in classrooms can also support wider national priorities, from social cohesion and gender equality to healthier relationships and more peaceful and inclusive societies.
These challenges are not unique to Africa. Children around the world are growing up amid conflict, polarisation, inequality and profound social and technological change. The need to equip them with empathy, self-esteem, resilience, emotional literacy, problem-solving skills and respect for others is universal.
Rather than viewing African education systems solely through the lens of what they lack or what they can learn from elsewhere, we should recognise where African governments are pioneering approaches from which others can learn – and the deployment of social and emotional learning is undoubtedly one such area.
The measure of a successful education system cannot simply be how well children can read, write and count. It must also be whether we equip the next generation to participate constructively and harmoniously in society. Growing numbers of African leaders have already recognised that. The challenge now is for education systems everywhere to follow their lead.