Cabo Verde is making remarkable strides to ensure that every child—no matter their background or ability—has access to quality early learning.

With support from GPE and UNICEF, the country is transforming its preschools into inclusive spaces where all children can learn, play and grow together.

As Cabo Verde strives to make early learning more inclusive, Sandra’s message is helping raise awareness among vulnerable families about the benefits of preschool.

And the learning process is fun. Sandra sees the joy on students’ faces as they arrive each morning, eager for a new day of discovery.

One student, Hedley, is carried into the classroom by his mother, Helizete Pina, who places him in his seat and gives him a kiss goodbye. Hedley has both physical and cognitive impairments that make attending school challenging, but this has not stopped him.

When Helizete learned that she could enroll her son with special needs at the nearby public kindergarten, she found a welcoming environment and a team of supportive teachers.

Removing barriers to preschool education

Having achieved universal access to basic education, Cabo Verde is now focused on universalizing access to pre-primary education and improving the inclusion and quality of early learning.

With funding from GPE and implementation support from UNICEF, the government is making preschool accessible to more children like Hedley and ensuring no child is left behind.

Improving inclusion requires better support for students with special needs—an area Cabo Verde has prioritized since 2017.

Around 35% of all inclusive education professionals—psychologists, social workers and special educators—were trained in supporting and monitoring students with special needs.

GPE also supported the ministry to establish an education data management system that systematizes data on children with special needs.

By the end of 2024 and with strong support from the National Education Coalition (Rede Nacional de Campanha da Educação para Todos, RNCEPT-CV), the government had declared a law on the guiding principles of inclusive education—a major milestone, guaranteeing fee-free education for children with special needs and defining specific measures and resources to be mobilized.

Scaling up inclusive early learning

With a new GPE grant of US$5 million for 2024-2029, Cabo Verde is building on this progress and aiming to achieve results at scale. The ministry is working with partners to raise awareness among vulnerable families about the benefits of early learning and to identify children who are not attending preschool.

GPE funding is supporting the consolidation of data on children with special needs to provide an overview of educational inclusion at local and national levels, with a view to ensuring greater efficiency and effectiveness in serving this population.

One important measure is a pilot project in kindergartens in vulnerable areas, focused on training professionals in the education sector on how to work with professionals from other sectors, such as social workers.

The training covers how to implement inclusive practices and establish clear operating procedures for integrating professionals from other sectors into kindergartens. The results will inform the expansion of inclusive practices to all kindergartens across the country.

Additionally, with GPE support, the government will provide adapted educational materials for students with special needs—such manipulative toys, adaptive pencils and assistive technology software—based on a needs assessment conducted by each municipality.

As Cabo Verde continues to deliver on its commitment to make education more inclusive, Hedley and thousands of other students are accessing preschool and developing the foundational skills that will support them throughout their schooling and beyond.

This blog is also available in Portuguese.