Unpaid practitioners say funding delays are affecting staffing, learning materials and food provision at centres.
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Grade R practitioners and early childhood development (ECD) providers in North West are demanding that the provincial education department settle outstanding 2025 payments and scrap or review a controversial increase in the minimum enrolment threshold.
The memorandum comes after months of mounting concern over unpaid Grade R practitioners and struggling ECD centres.
Practitioners demand payment for 2025 services
The practitioners are now demanding that those who provided Grade R services last year, but were not funded, be paid immediately, particularly those who met the department’s previous minimum threshold of 15 pupils.
They argue practitioners who were funded on the basis of the 15-pupil threshold in 2023 and 2024 should not have their 2025 services retrospectively excluded after the threshold was increased to 25 pupils.
“We also want the department to urgently review the new threshold as it was introduced without consultation and has serious consequences for children in smaller and rural communities,” said the practitioners in the memorandum to education MEC Viola Motsumi.
Many long-serving practitioners continue to operate in communities with fewer than 25 Grade R pupils, but have been excluded from funding despite continuing to provide an essential educational service.
The practitioners warn the higher threshold could discourage Grade R provision in smaller communities, reduce available places and force children to travel further to access education.
The latest demands come in the wake of previous reports by The Citizen highlighting the financial strain facing ECD centres and Grade R practitioners.
Funding delays leave teachers unpaid
In December, practitioners reported that funding delays had left Grade R teachers unpaid, with some ECD principals having to step into classrooms themselves to keep programmes operating.
In May, The Citizen also reported the North West ECD funding crisis was continuing, despite billions of rands being allocated nationally to expand and support early childhood development.
The department of basic education has previously said R10 billion was secured from National Treasury to increase the ECD subsidy to R24 per child per day and extend access to an additional 700 000 children.
A further R6.3 billion was allocated over the medium term for the ECD conditional grant, while additional funding was earmarked for infrastructure, nutrition and other ECD initiatives.
Providers call for predictable funding
Yet practitioners in North West say the reality on the ground remains one of delayed, or inaccessible funding.
The memorandum calls for all approved Grade R and ECD funding to be paid according to valid service level agreements and approved payment schedules.
Practitioners want payments made at the beginning of each funding period, saying delays leave them unable to pay staff, buy learning materials and provide food.
They also want the department to honour every valid service level agreement, subject to practitioners meeting the terms of those agreements.
The North West department of education had not responded to the latest memorandum by the time of publication.
