Date: 29/08/2005
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: Ntataise conference on early childhood development
Address by the Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, MP, at the Ntataise conference on early childhood development, Riverside Hotel and Conference Centre, Vanderbijlpark
Chairperson and Trustees of the Ntataise Trust Representatives from the Ntataise network of organisations
Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to begin by congratulating Ntataise and its network on the sterling work it has done over the past 25 years, beginning with teaching farm workers’ wives how to establish and run pre-schools, and expanding to train and support 10 000 women who have provided care and education to over 350 000 children.
Your work serves as an important example of positive community partnerships. This is a model that clearly works.
Early childhood development (ECD) is under served and inadequately supported in South Africa as a whole. There is a need for us all to intensify efforts aimed at addressing the gaps.
The non-profit sector plays a major role in early childhood development (ECD). Most of the 1,03 million places in early learning sites across South Africa have been initiated by the non-profit sector in partnership with communities. Nevertheless, for many poor children quality ECD is still beyond reach.
Fortunately, ECD non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in South Africa have accumulated valuable expertise in the ECD field, giving us a rich legacy of innovative and creative experience with regard to ECD services for children.
The government sector is searching for a way of tapping into this expertise in developing an integrated approach.
Integration is vital because local and international evidence shows strong links between ECD programmes and broader social and community development. Recognition of this can greatly enhance integrated ECD services and ensure that ECD provision develops as part of community development initiatives.
I would like to express my appreciation to the donors and founders present here today, for the support they have provided to this organisation, and to ensuring that young children have a good start in life.
In the past six years we have begun to carefully assess learning outcomes. Recent studies have revealed that grade 3 learners perform poorly in literacy and numeracy tests.
Education research shows that with early intervention programmes, long before Grade R, much can be done to improve this slow start.
The findings have been followed by various interventions as a way of reviewing the impact of our programmes in various communities, we are conducting follow-up studies. It is for this reason that the department has created a new directorate that will be conducting studies to inform our future practice.
I have recently received a ministerial committee report on the national framework for the professional development of teachers, including pre-service and in-service teacher education.
Among the recommendations made by this committee is the inclusion of ECD and adult basic education and training (ABET) practitioners as part of the teaching profession.
If this is approved, it will have huge implications for ‘restructuring’ professional development programmes as they are currently offered by institutions, including NGOs.
As you are all aware, the department is phasing in grade R in public primary schools and community-based ECD sites.
We have recently completed the training of practitioners, towards the National Certificate in ECD, which is at NQF level 4.
I am pleased to note that of the 4 364 who actually registered, 3 362 have successfully met the requirements for a full qualification.
In the Free State in particular, of the 296 registered for the qualification, 220 achieved full qualification.
I would like to congratulate these practitioners and further encourage them to study towards a level 5 diploma in order to receive full recognition with the Department of Education. The Council of Education Ministers (a committee comprising MECs of Education and myself) and the Heads of Education Committee have recently approved the norms and standards for funding grade R classes in public primary schools, independent schools and community-based sites. These norms will assist in standardising the funding of these grade R classes in the whole country.
The norms and standards for funding the grade R classes will be released for public comment soon, through a government gazette, which will be available in four South African languages. We are looking forward to receiving comments from all of you.
In a recent article in the Cape Times, Eric Atmore, director of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and national director of the National Early Childhood Development Alliance, argues that government is not doing enough. 1
As part of our response we are currently piloting an integrated ECD plan, integrating the services provided by the departments of Social Welfare, Health and Education. The integrated plan aims to give the children of our country a positive start in life.
Many practitioners and organisations provided comments which helped to strengthen and improve the plan.
The Department of Education is responsible for the development of early stimulation programmes in the integrated plan, and partnerships will be sought with the NGO sector for the implementation of these programmes for children younger than five.
The integrated ECD plan (Tshwaragano Le Bana) will target 4 million poor and vulnerable children. The first phase will involve targeting the 1 million children in the existing services of the Department of Social Development and the Department of Education in order to consolidate the services. Through an expansion process, universal coverage is targeted for 2010.
The primary components of the plan will be located in various selected sites and places where children live and are cared for, including homes; formal ECD centres; community childcare centres; informal ECD settings; prisons; orphanages; and places of safety.
The primary components of the plan will target poor and vulnerable children from birth to five in all provinces. Age appropriate services will be provided to the targeted children.
In closing, government seeks further and deeper support and collaboration with ECD organisations for:
* The promotion of literacy and numeracy
* The promotion of African indigenous languages at an early age
* The professional development of teachers,
including pre-service and in-service teacher education
* Implementation of the early stimulation programmes for children under the age of five.
This outline provides a brief overview of what the department is doing for children under the age of five; it also identifies areas of collaboration with the NGO sector. We all need to work vigorously and with speed to ensure our children enjoy these opportunities.
With these few words and my thanks to all of you for the work that you are doing, I wish you all the best in your deliberations for the next two days.
1 Eric Atmore, “Early schooling a vital foundation. Wrong strategy applied to tackle literacy, numeracy”, Cape Times, 30 May 2005; Grassroots Adult Education and Training Trust, “Government must prioritise integrated early learning plan”, Cape Times, 7 June 2005.
Issued by: Department of Education
29 August 2005
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: Ntataise conference on early childhood development
Address by the Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, MP, at the Ntataise conference on early childhood development, Riverside Hotel and Conference Centre, Vanderbijlpark
Chairperson and Trustees of the Ntataise Trust Representatives from the Ntataise network of organisations
Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to begin by congratulating Ntataise and its network on the sterling work it has done over the past 25 years, beginning with teaching farm workers’ wives how to establish and run pre-schools, and expanding to train and support 10 000 women who have provided care and education to over 350 000 children.
Your work serves as an important example of positive community partnerships. This is a model that clearly works.
Early childhood development (ECD) is under served and inadequately supported in South Africa as a whole. There is a need for us all to intensify efforts aimed at addressing the gaps.
The non-profit sector plays a major role in early childhood development (ECD). Most of the 1,03 million places in early learning sites across South Africa have been initiated by the non-profit sector in partnership with communities. Nevertheless, for many poor children quality ECD is still beyond reach.
Fortunately, ECD non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in South Africa have accumulated valuable expertise in the ECD field, giving us a rich legacy of innovative and creative experience with regard to ECD services for children.
The government sector is searching for a way of tapping into this expertise in developing an integrated approach.
Integration is vital because local and international evidence shows strong links between ECD programmes and broader social and community development. Recognition of this can greatly enhance integrated ECD services and ensure that ECD provision develops as part of community development initiatives.
I would like to express my appreciation to the donors and founders present here today, for the support they have provided to this organisation, and to ensuring that young children have a good start in life.
In the past six years we have begun to carefully assess learning outcomes. Recent studies have revealed that grade 3 learners perform poorly in literacy and numeracy tests.
Education research shows that with early intervention programmes, long before Grade R, much can be done to improve this slow start.
The findings have been followed by various interventions as a way of reviewing the impact of our programmes in various communities, we are conducting follow-up studies. It is for this reason that the department has created a new directorate that will be conducting studies to inform our future practice.
I have recently received a ministerial committee report on the national framework for the professional development of teachers, including pre-service and in-service teacher education.
Among the recommendations made by this committee is the inclusion of ECD and adult basic education and training (ABET) practitioners as part of the teaching profession.
If this is approved, it will have huge implications for ‘restructuring’ professional development programmes as they are currently offered by institutions, including NGOs.
As you are all aware, the department is phasing in grade R in public primary schools and community-based ECD sites.
We have recently completed the training of practitioners, towards the National Certificate in ECD, which is at NQF level 4.
I am pleased to note that of the 4 364 who actually registered, 3 362 have successfully met the requirements for a full qualification.
In the Free State in particular, of the 296 registered for the qualification, 220 achieved full qualification.
I would like to congratulate these practitioners and further encourage them to study towards a level 5 diploma in order to receive full recognition with the Department of Education. The Council of Education Ministers (a committee comprising MECs of Education and myself) and the Heads of Education Committee have recently approved the norms and standards for funding grade R classes in public primary schools, independent schools and community-based sites. These norms will assist in standardising the funding of these grade R classes in the whole country.
The norms and standards for funding the grade R classes will be released for public comment soon, through a government gazette, which will be available in four South African languages. We are looking forward to receiving comments from all of you.
In a recent article in the Cape Times, Eric Atmore, director of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and national director of the National Early Childhood Development Alliance, argues that government is not doing enough. 1
As part of our response we are currently piloting an integrated ECD plan, integrating the services provided by the departments of Social Welfare, Health and Education. The integrated plan aims to give the children of our country a positive start in life.
Many practitioners and organisations provided comments which helped to strengthen and improve the plan.
The Department of Education is responsible for the development of early stimulation programmes in the integrated plan, and partnerships will be sought with the NGO sector for the implementation of these programmes for children younger than five.
The integrated ECD plan (Tshwaragano Le Bana) will target 4 million poor and vulnerable children. The first phase will involve targeting the 1 million children in the existing services of the Department of Social Development and the Department of Education in order to consolidate the services. Through an expansion process, universal coverage is targeted for 2010.
The primary components of the plan will be located in various selected sites and places where children live and are cared for, including homes; formal ECD centres; community childcare centres; informal ECD settings; prisons; orphanages; and places of safety.
The primary components of the plan will target poor and vulnerable children from birth to five in all provinces. Age appropriate services will be provided to the targeted children.
In closing, government seeks further and deeper support and collaboration with ECD organisations for:
* The promotion of literacy and numeracy
* The promotion of African indigenous languages at an early age
* The professional development of teachers,
including pre-service and in-service teacher education
* Implementation of the early stimulation programmes for children under the age of five.
This outline provides a brief overview of what the department is doing for children under the age of five; it also identifies areas of collaboration with the NGO sector. We all need to work vigorously and with speed to ensure our children enjoy these opportunities.
With these few words and my thanks to all of you for the work that you are doing, I wish you all the best in your deliberations for the next two days.
1 Eric Atmore, “Early schooling a vital foundation. Wrong strategy applied to tackle literacy, numeracy”, Cape Times, 30 May 2005; Grassroots Adult Education and Training Trust, “Government must prioritise integrated early learning plan”, Cape Times, 7 June 2005.
Issued by: Department of Education
29 August 2005
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