LAYING SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNING Early Childhood Development

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LAYING SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNINGEarly
Childhood Development

• Briefing to the Select Committee on Education
  and Recreation
• Mrs Palesa Tyobeka
• Deputy Director-General General Education
• 26th August 2009

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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.

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0 4 years
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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)

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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

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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.

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Major challenges

• Lack of accurate and verifiable data on ECD sites
  across the country. This limits Department of
  Basic Educations 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.

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Grade r
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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.

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Increasing access to QUALITY

• EFA Monitoring report of 2005 puts the following
  key indicators at the center
• Quality Programmes
• Adequate Resources
• Qualified teachers

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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.

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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 teachers guide

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Working against achieving the dream

• Adequate budget
• Conditions of service of practitioners
• Teacher qualifications

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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

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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