Many children are missing preschool classes. In Madagascar, only 39.5% of children aged 3 to 5 have access to preschool, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as part of the launch of the National Preschool Education Strategy (SNEP). Infrastructure constraints are the main factors behind this low enrollment rate. Of the 27,800 public primary schools, only 16,095 classrooms are currently available, with an even more acute shortage in rural and isolated areas, and overcrowding in classes, according to SNEP. Yet the education budget continues to decline. Insufficient early childhood investments reduce the long-term economic and social effectiveness of interventions.
Economic Gains
Génération Mada, an association working in education, is calling attention to the importance of investing in early childhood. "One ariary invested early equals 7 ariary in savings through better-paid employment, crime reduction, lower healthcare costs, and more, because the early years of childhood are a fundamental stage of a child's brain development," says Julian Beck, director general of Génération Mada, based on economic gains from massive early childhood investment, according to the work of James Heckman, 2000 Nobel Prize winner in Economics.
Génération Mada's global socio-emotional learning program, "Think Equal," is based on this analysis. This program, designed and adapted for preschool-aged children from 3 to 9 years old, aims to develop 25 competencies, including empathy, respect for diversity, self-confidence, gender equality, communication skills, and peaceful conflict resolution, and has had positive impacts, according to initial findings from participating schools. The national presentation of the Think Equal school year 2025-2026, under the sponsorship of the Ministry of National Education, will be held on July 17, 2026 at Fofikri, in Ankadikely-Ilafy.