Briefing by the DBE to the Select Committee on Education and Recreation MR HM MWELI

1. PROGRESS REPORT: EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT Briefing by the DBE to the Select Committee on Education and Recreation MR HM MWELI 29 OCTOBER 2014

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION • Purpose • Problem Statement • Comments from CEM: 18&19 September 2014 • ECD Audit conducted by DSD • South African Integrated Programme of Action – Moving ahead • Grade R: Progress of practitioners to minimum requirement - Level 6 (National Diploma in Grade R teaching) • Additional Two Years • Implications for Implementation • Best Practice • Recommendation

3. 1. PURPOSE To brief the Select Committee on Education and Recreation on the progress made in respect of key deliverables for Early Childhood Development (ECD)

4. 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT “Delays in cognitive and overall development beforeschooling can often have long lasting and costly consequences for children, families and society. The most effective and cost-efficient time to intervene is before birth and the early years of life. Investment in Early Childhood Development should be a key priority.” National Development Plan: Vision for 2030 (2011)

5. 3. COMMENTS FROM CEM: 18&19 SEP 2014 • Pre-Grade R: • Concentrated focus on Grade R first, and then consider roll-out of 2 years for long term; • Policy amendments and adequate preparations for 2 years pre-grade needed; • Need for closer working relations with DSD to be sustained; and • Minimum requirements for practitioners need to be L4 immediately. • Grade R: • HEDCOM to include L6 qualified practitioners currently in the system and confirm their status in respect of staffing; • Legislation services to finalise policy to coincide with implementation; • Address issues related to scholar transport, nutrition etc. for Grade R learners which currently pose challenges; and • HEDCOM to consider a plan for Grade R, taking into account all the above issues and costing thereof.

6. 4. ECD AUDIT CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

7. 4.1.PURPOSE OF THE ECD AUDIT • To address inequalities, service level disparities and challenges of the sector in collaboration with other initiatives (e.g the development of the National ECD policy and programmes). • To develop a multi-pronged approach to improve the quality of ECD services.

8. 4.2 NUMBER OF CHILDREN PRESENT

9. 4.3 REGISTRATION STATUS

10. REGISTRATION STATUS…(2) • Of the 19971 ECD centres in the country a total of 1, 439 centres could not be audited as: • 354 centres barred access, • 943 closed; and • 132 could not be found. • The report is therefore on 18 centres only.

11. 4.4.CONDITIONAL REGISTRATION

12. 4.5 HIGHEST ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION Source: ECD Audit conducted by Department of Social Development (2014)

13. 4.6.DEPARTMENTAL INVOLVEMENT

14. 4.7 ECD PRACTITIONER QUALIFICATION Source: ECD Audit conducted by Department of Social Development (2014)

15. 4.8 STATE OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION Type of pre-Grade R curriculum followed • Small variation between curriculums among different registration statuses but follow general pattern • Unregistered centres more likely (77%) to use their own curriculum than full (71%) or conditional (68%) Source: ECD Audit conducted by Department of Social Development (2014)

16. 4.9 LEARNER SUPPORT MATERIAL Sufficient Learner Support Material • 32% do not have enough learner support materials and 26% only partly enough • Considerable variation between provinces with Limpopo (50%), Mpumalanga (47%), KZN (42%) and the Eastern Cape (38%) well above average for not having sufficient learner support material. Source: ECD Audit conducted by Department of Social Development (2014)

17. 4.10 CONDITION OF LEARNER MATERIAL • Condition of learner support materials is generally in Good (47%) or Fair (35%) condition • Poor condition is most common in the Northern Cape (33%) and North West (30%). Also high in KZN (26%), Limpopo(25%) and the Eastern Cape (25%). Source: ECD Audit conducted by Department of Social Development (2014)

18. 4.11 AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS • Develop an ECD Improvement Strategy to address the findings per province. • Prioritise the need to have a sufficient number of appropriately qualified practitioners.

19. 5. SOUTH AFRICAN INTEGRATED PROGRAMME OF ACTION – MOVING AHEAD

20. 5.1 SOUTH AFRICAN INTEGRATED PROGRAMME OF ACTION (POA) – MOVING AHEAD • To improve the quality of ECD provisioning in the country, the Department of Social Development with the Departments of Health and Basic Education and other stakeholders developed the South African Integrated Programme of Action – Moving Ahead. • Cabinet approved the plan on 18 September 2013 with the directive that the costing be concluded with National Treasury.

21. 5.2 DBE RESPONSIBILITIES

22. 5.3 DBE RESPONSIBILITIES… (2)

23. 6. PROGRESSION OF GRADE R PRACTITIONERS TOWARDS LEVEL 6

24. 6.1 STATE OF GRADE R PRACTITIONER QUALIFICATIONS

25. 6.2 GRADE R TRAINING - 2014

26. 6.3 5 YEAR TARGETS - TRAINING

27. 6.4 MOVING TOWARDS 2019 • 2016 • No Grade R practitioner with qualification below NQF Level 4 • 2019 • No Grade R practitioner with qualification below Level 6

28. 7. ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS

29. 7.1 DISTANCE TO NEAREST PRIMARY SCHOOL Source: ECD Audit conducted by Department of Social Development (2014)

30. 7.2 ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS • Medium Term Strategic Framework: 2014-2019 • Planning for the introduction of a Pre-Grade R year to be led by the Department of Social Development • Targets: • By 2019: All learners in Grade 1 have had access to a formal Grade R programme (DBE); and • Plan for the introduction of a Pre-Grade R year is approved (DSD) • Draft ECD Policy and Programmes (DSD) • 2 years before Grade 1 • Consolidation of Grade R (DBE) • Pre-Grade R (DSD & DBE & DoH) .

31. 7.3 OVERVIEW OF THE POLICY AND PROGRAMMES CONTENTS OF THE DRAFT POLICY AND PROGRAMMES: • ECD as a public good • Universal availability and access • Dual government-regulated model of public and private delivery of ECD programmes and services • Pre-Grade R • Ages of children and timeframes • Institutional arrangements • Coordination and integration • Human resources (government, NGOs, training of ECD Practitioners, capacitation of government officials) • Infrastructure • Disability and Nutrition • ECD Programme (essential package and comprehensive programme) • Funding – crosscutting implications • Communication strategy • Monitoring and evaluation

32. 7.4 IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DBE • Human Resource • Capacitation of departmental officials; • Training of ECD practitioners; and • Professionalisation of ECD sector. • Essential Package • Stimulation of children’s learning and development; and • Parent support.

33. 7.5 CONSULTATION ON POLICY AND PROGRAMMES

34. 7.6 NEXT STEPS • The working committee (DBE, DSD, DoH and other departments) will finalise the provincial consultations on the draft ECD Policy and Programmes. • Detailed report on the process will be prepared for submission to the Social Cluster for recommendation to Cabinet. • After approval a detailed, costed implementation plan with clear roles and responsibilities for the key departments will be developed.

35. 8. IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

36. 8.1 Improving Quality in Pre-Grade R

37. 8.2 IMPROVING QUALITY IN GRADE R

38. 8.3 WAY FORWARD

39. 9. BEST PRACTICE

40. 9.1 BEST PRACTICE

41. 9.2 BEST PRACTICE…(2)

42. 9.3 BEST PRACTICE…. (4)

43. 10. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Select Committee on Education and Recreation notes the progress made in respect of key deliverables for Early Childhood Development (ECD)

44. THANK YOU