BOIPATONG – Gauteng MEC of Education, Matome Chiloane, has made a clarion call to stakeholders in the early childhood development (ECD) space to double their efforts to ensure ECD centres comply with regulations, and, therefore, become able to render this important service to all children in Gauteng.
The MEC made the call at a recent stakeholder engagement session on Tuesday 22 August at the Boipatong Community Hall where hundreds of ECD owners, practitioners, and education authorities converged.
Early childhood has been identified as a critical phase in a child’s development and the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), which is now responsible for the ECD function (previously under the Department of Social Development until March 2022), has been reaching out to the sector to ensure the provision of support to ECD centre owners.
With the hall packed to capacity, ECD practitioners were given an opportunity to raise their issues and many of them complained about challenges regarding compliance. One speaker complained that the compliance requirements were cumbersome, especially for ECD practitioners living and working in informal settlements.
An ECD centre needs to register and comply with various regulations in order to receive government support and operate legally. Some of the requirements include having a business plan, constitution, an original copy of the approved building plans, an emergency plan, and a health certificate from the local municipality.
In response, MEC Chiloane called on all stakeholders gathered, especially municipalities, to work with the GDE to help ECD practitioners comply.
“We are not here to try and stop you from doing your work; we are here to provide solutions to the challenges facing the sector – hence I am here with my team, including officials from municipalities, to assist you comply and continue providing this important service,” the MEC said.
“Local government is very important for this task we are doing today. This process that you do is not a process to punish people, but to help people to comply,” he added.
Nico Nhlapo from Refilwe place of care creche in Sharpeville said they had been battling with electricity issues for more than a decade, and the municipality was not making their compliance matters easy.
Chiloane lashed municipal officials for always punishing ECDs when they undergo processes of compliance.
“The municipality can’t punish ECDs. We need to go into that space and come up with solutions to help our people,” he added.
Addressing the gathering, MEC Chiloane emphasized the pivotal role that early childhood development plays in shaping the future of Gauteng’s children saying the engagements were meant to establish a common ground from the sector could be helped to grow, especially in the townships and informal settlements.
