LAYING SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNING

Early Childhood Development

Briefing to the Select Committee on Education and Recreation

Mrs Palesa TyobekaDeputy Director-General: General Education

26th August 2009

Putting ECD at the center: An education imperative

• After 1994 SA accepted the moral responsibility to address significant inequality in opportunity by strengthening focus on the earliest years. Also adopted international definition of ECD as focusing on children from 0 – 9yrs;

• Commitment in policy documents on ECD centers around health, promotion and welfare of children in their formative years.

• In Education this commitment has been expressed through the drive to Universal Access to Grade R by 2010 (WP6) and participation and co-leadership of the Integrated Plan for Early Childhood Development: Tshwaragano ka bana.

0 – 4 YEARS

Introduction to Tshwaragano ka bana

• White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Education:

– The Department of Education accepts that providing ECD

for children younger than five years requires a combination and a

variety of programmes that draw in several departments and levels

of government, nongovernmental organisations, CBOs, families,

parents an children. (White Paper 5 p61)

• There are three main role players:

– Departments of Education, Health and Social Development (DSD – lead

department)

General progress to date

• Some of the improvement in the access to services for children 0 – 4 years:– Birth registrations have increased from 25% in 1998 to 72% in

2005

– Immunisation coverage has increased from 63% in 1998 to over 90% in 2005

– 90% of births take place in a health facility

– 86% of eligible 0 – 4 year olds receive a Child Support Grant

– The per capita subsidy has increased for children in ECD centres as well as the number of children receiving the subsidy

The mandate of the Department of Education

• Main focus of Department of Education is to ensure quality of ‘educational experience’ in community sites through ensuring– Quality of programmes, and

– Quality of training of practitioners

• Providing a quality programme for the sites

– Developed National Early Learning and Development Standards

– Developed materials for parents and caregivers on how to stimulate their child/ren

• Ensuring quality of practitioners– 6 684 practitioners currently in training across the country.

Major challenges

• Lack of accurate and verifiable data on ECD sites across the country. This limits Department of Basic Education’s ability to – audit practitioner numbers and competency levels

– Cost and mount a realistic practitioner development programme;

– Plan, develop and distribute adequate support materials for enhanced programmes at the sites;

• Lack of proper monitoring of the basic requirements for practitioners towards quality practice.

GRADE R

Meeting the target of Universal Access by 2010

• Universal access to Grade R inclusive of both provision in public and community sites;

• Accurate data not easy to get and current coverage is deduced from the average enrolment in Grades 1, 2 and 3 in the previous year;

• In June 2009 national picture indicated 77% coverage;• Indications are that KZN almost at universal coverage already

and that most provinces could meet target by 2010;• 5 provinces already at 80% coverage; • Gauteng the one province where coverage is ‘challenged’ –

currently below 50%;• Planning already to have met target by 2014.

Increasing access to QUALITY

• EFA Monitoring report of 2005 puts the

following key indicators at the center:

– Quality Programmes

– Adequate Resources

– Qualified teachers

Towards Quality Programmes

• Focus on two key areas– Management of sites

– Practitioner support

• Management of Grade R sites:– Key criteria/standards developed for quality sites;

• Practitioners Support: – Grade R Practical Ideas ( book of ideas and activities)

developed;

– Milestones document to guide and sequence child development to be sent out to all schools by November.

Resources

• Grade R Resource Kit to be out in all schools with grade R by November, comprising:– 62 page story book with 20 stories

– 20 wall charts

– 80 reproducable worksheets

– 32 page learner resource book

– 80 page book of lessons

– Assessment guideline and activities

– A 48 page teacher’s guide

Working against achieving the dream

• Adequate budget

• Conditions of service of ‘practitioners’

• Teacher qualifications

Current Status

• Practitioners– ECD viewed as a continuum from 0 – 9 yrs internationally and

in SA, but overwhelming majority of ‘practitioners/teachers’ working in Grade R not qualified for employment as educators (but used as such in many schools across the country);

– Current entry requirement NQF Level 4 qualification; in community sites an un-enforced Level 1 qualification as requirement;

– Inadequate salaries and unattractive/unacceptable conditions of service

– Lack of career path – no clear qualifications pathway

Areas of priority focus

• On qualifications– Develop a Qualification pathway: Complete a 360

credit Level 6 Diploma in Education followed by a Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase

• On Conditions of Service– Agree on minimum stipend to be paid per month

– Ensure regular payment