Some thoughts, Minister, on early childhood development

Dear Minister Siviwe Gwarube, 

It has been almost 100 days since you took office. We can safely assume that you have now familiarised yourself with the challenges, opportunities, and especially the priorities. 

Congratulations are in order for your appointment in this esteemed office that impacts on the present and the future of our country more than many I know. Education is the front, back and centre of any nation, especially a developing one like ours. 

I would be the first to admit that you are juggling a range of issues and constantly evaluating what should be prioritised and what deferred, what needs more budget or capacity.

I hope I can share my thoughts as someone who has dedicated her entire life to the faculty of education. I would like to focus Early Childhood Development (ECD). 

It is common knowledge that the government has initiated a significant policy shift by moving the responsibility for ECD from the department of social development to the department of basic education (DBE). This transition aims to improve the quality and accessibility of early learning programmes across the country. 

The initial bill was introduced by the department of social development in 2019. However, the DBE has since redrafted the bill in 2023, based on comments and concerns from the sector and will soon, hopefully, be presented to the parliamentary portfolio committee on basic education.

This move will affect about 27,000 registered ECD centres across the country and affect more than 2-million children between the ages of 0-5 years. It is reported that 1.3-million children aged three to five do not have access and are not yet receiving any form of early learning. 

Even more worrying, only 45% of children in early learning are developmentally on track, according to the Thrive by Five Index — the largest survey of preschool child development providing authoritative data to galvanise action and drive change to ensure that children thrive by the age of five.  

Admirably, the National Treasury has allocated R1.5bn for the initial phase of the transition. Any plan without a budget is as good as a pipe dream. 

I believe the move of ECD to the basic education department is a great one because it sends a message about the importance of early learning.  The advantages of this move have been widely written about and they include: 

• Holistic Development: Integrating ECD with the formal education system supports a more holistic approach to a child’s development, including cognitive, emotional, and social skills. 

• Increased Investment: The transition can attract more investment in early education from the government and private sector. 

• Long-term Impact: Studies indicate that quality early childhood education leads to better educational outcomes in later years, reducing dropout rates and improving employment prospects. 

But there is much confusion about the complexity and diversity of the sector. One big issue is deciding who can teach early learning. Linked to that is the training and upgrading of the existing practitioners who, if nothing is done, will join the ranks of the unemployed. And then there is quality assurance.

ECD has been a gogo/retiree-run entity for time immemorial. Where is the curriculum and how is it being shifted?

ECD has been a gogo/retiree-run entity for time immemorial. Where is the curriculum and how is it being shifted?  In short, what is the strategic approach to a sector that has been marginalised for so long and in which, unfortunately, every delay affects a generation?

A lot has been written by researchers on the impact of the pandemic on learning and teaching. With an already weak foundation stage, a non-existent ECD programme, a “compulsory” but very expensive Grade R, could present its own challenges. Added to that are the watered-down strategies that education had to unfortunately but justifiably implement because of Covid. What is the clawback plan?  

A big part of the plan should be a well-considered, well-orchestrated and well-funded bridging programme — not an occasional teacher workshop. Training should be intensive, long term and guided by international best practice. 

Finally, we are a wounded society and Covid added to our wounds. Every school must be trauma informed.  We have a lot written and we have done a lot regarding the issue. It is my view that in-service training and pre-service training should focus on this.  No teacher should get a qualification without understanding how trauma impacts on learning and teaching. 

Once again, minister, I do not claim to know better than you or your arsenal of advisers and technocrats, but I wish to add my voice imploring you to make ECD work. We have the strategy and the policy seems to be generally accepted. Now is the time to derive realistic tactics for implementation (once passed by parliament), develop all the necessary training for practitioners, review and canvass for the right budget and then implement realistically and rationally, trying everything in your might to ensure that no child is excluded, and that no provider is left behind. 

I wish you success in your role, and I hope that when you finish your term, we can all look back and say: “We have saved ECD:  for our children, for our nation, for the future of this country.” 

• Ndebele is the executive director of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls