Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has welcomed the transfer of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres to her department as ‘a long-overdue step in the right direction’.
“We cannot expect the education sector to thrive if our house does not have a solid foundation as precisely expressed by other speakers urging us to take care of the roots of the tree that nourish it to bear fruitful outcomes,” Motshekga told the launch of a Thrive by Five Index of the First National Bank that looks into the state of affairs in the ECD centres.
Motshekga said the index will be a valuable tool for her department as it will help to monitor trends in the ECD sector over time and contribute toward the development of the children at an early age so they can thrive as they grow older in the education system.
“We now need to start preparatory work on what needs to be done and how the index can be implemented to ensure that it’s a success. I am happy the final shift has occurred as I have always wanted the ECD sector moved from the Department of Social Development to Basic Education as this marks the beginning of a brighter future for the entire education system in the country.
This will also be in line with international trends in the education sector and will help clear the path for a good and sound learning process in readiness for Grade 1,” Motshekga said.
The index found that 65% of four- to five-year-old children attending early learning programmes in South Africa are failing to thrive. These children are not meeting the expected early learning and or physical growth standards for their age and will start Grade R at a considerable disadvantage, with possible long-term implications for their education.
The Index was initiated by First National Bank (FNB) and Innovation Edge, in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), and is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ECD Measure.
It assessed more than 5 000 children aged four to five years enrolled in various types of ECDs around the country. Children were assessed in three areas which are known to be predictive of a child’s performance in school: early learning, physical growth, and social-emotional functioning and found that less than half of them are on track for learning.
