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THE RACE TO REACH EFA GOAL ON ECD BY 2015. WHAT IS ECD?. REFERS TO PROGRAMMES AIMED AT CHILDREN WHO ARE BETWEEN 0 AND 9 YEARS OF AGE. ECD TARGET GROUPS. 0 – 4 YEAR OLD CHILDREN (PRE-GRADE R) 5 YEAR OLD CHILDREN (GRADE R) 6 – 9 YEAR OLD CHILDREN (PRIMARY SCHOOL). IMPORTANCE OF ECD.
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WHAT IS ECD? REFERS TO PROGRAMMES AIMED AT CHILDREN WHO ARE BETWEEN 0 AND 9 YEARS OF AGE
ECD TARGET GROUPS • 0 – 4 YEAR OLD CHILDREN (PRE-GRADE R) • 5 YEAR OLD CHILDREN (GRADE R) • 6 – 9 YEAR OLD CHILDREN (PRIMARY SCHOOL)
IMPORTANCE OF ECD • EARLY YEARS OF LIFE ARE A KEY PERIOD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERSONALITY, INTELLEGENCE AND BEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN. • EFFECTS OF ECD PROGRAMMES – GREATER FOR CHILDREN FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS THAN THOSE FROM PRIVILIGED BACKGROUNDS
EFA GOAL ON ECD EXPANDING AND IMPROVING COMPREHENSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION ESPECIALLY FOR THE MOST VUNERABLE AND DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN
EFA INDICATOR ON ECD • GROSS ENROLMENT RATIO IS THE MAIN INDICATOR TO MONITOR PROGRESS TOWARDS EFA GOAL • REFERS TO ENROLMENT IN PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION (PRE-GRADE 1) AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION IN THE OFFICIAL AGE GROUP
PROGRESS ON EFA INDICATOR ON ECD GER IN PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION: • 1990 – 17% • 1998 – 24% • 2000 – 34% • 2001 – 35% • COMPARES FAVOURABLY TO GER OF COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION, WHICH WAS 30% IN 2001 • BUT NOT SO FAVOURABLY TO DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WHERE GER WAS 82% IN 2001
ECD TARGETS IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR 2010 • ALL GRADE 1 LEARNERS WILL HAVE BEEN THROUGH AN ACCREDITED ECD PROGRAMME • REACH 1M CHILDREN • 100% OF SCHOOLS SHOULD BE OFFERING GRADE R • 75% OF GRADE R PROGRAMMES WILL BE SUBSIDISED • EXPAND PARTICIPATION OF 0 – 4 YEAR OLDS IN ECD PROGRAMMES FROM CURRENT LEVELS OF 13% TO 30%
PROGRESS TOWARDS COUNTRY TARGETS • IN 2003, 63% OF GRADE R COHORT ALREADY ENROLLED IN GRADE R • NO OF LEARNERS IN GRADE R INCREASED FROM 356 000 IN 2004 TO 405 000 IN 2005 (14% INCREASE) • NUMBER OF PRE-GRADE R LEARNERS INCREASED FROM ABOUT 30 000 IN 2004 TO 34 000 IN 2005 • BY 2004, 45% OF SCHOOLS OFFERED GRADE R • Funding for ECD increased from R12m in 1995 to R538m in 2004/2005 • 4500 ECD practitioners have been trained • Per capita expenditure for Grade R learners was R1212 in 2003
PROGRAMMES FOR 2 – 4 YEAR OLDS • ECD SITES CATERING FOR PROGRAMMES FOR 2 – 4 YEARS ARE REGISTERED WITH DSD • SUBSIDY PROVIDED BY DSD RANGES FROM R2 PER CHILD PER DAY TO R8 PER CHILD PER DAY • DOH PROVIDES FREE HEALTH CARE
EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME • R2.2 B OF THE R4.2 B ALLOCATED TO PROVINCES FOR EPWP WAS ALLOCATED TO ECD • FUNDING AIMED AT TRAINING OF TEACHERS AND PAYMENT OF THEIR STIPENDS • AIM TO INCREASE SUBSIDY TO R9 PER CHILD PER DAY
STRUCTURES ESTABLISHED TO ACHIEVE EFA GOAL FOR 0 – 4 YEAR OLD CHILDREN • INTERDEPARTMENTAL ECD COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED • CONSISTS OF DOE, DOH, DSD AND PRESIDENCY • FACILITATES PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR 0 – 4 YEAR OLDS • NATIONAL INTEGRATED PLAN (NIP) ON ECD HAS BEEN DEVELOPED • PLAN DEMARCATES ROLES OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS • DOE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROGRAMME CONTENT, TRAINING OF TEACHERS AND PAYMENT OF THEIR STIPENDS
CHALLENGES • DATA DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN BECAUSE OF VARIED NATURE OF ECD, BUT DEPT ADDRESSING PROBLEM • DESPITE CURRENT LEVELS OF FINANCING, NEED A FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN FUNDING IN REAL TERMS BY 2010 TO MEET TARGETS
CONCLUSION • ECD IS FASTEST GROWING PROGRAMME IN COUNTRY • TARGETS FOR GRADE R BY 2010 ARE WITHIN REACH • PROVISION OF PROGRAMMES FOR 0 – 4 YEAR OLDS MORE DIFFICULT TO REACH