Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, MEC for Social Development in the Eastern Cape, Siphokazi Lusithi, and Department of Education MEC, Fundile Gade, led a stakeholder engagement summit towards the transfer of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) functions from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Education at Mandla Makupula Leadership Institute in East London, last week.
Both Departments had drafted two Proclamations. The first proclamation was signed by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, while the second was signed by the Premiers for the transfer of power and functions to the MEC responsible for Basic Education in each Province.
The Proclamations further specify that the date of the implementation of the ECD function shift would be April 1, 2022. The move would allow for a standardised ECD function to ensure structured learning in the sector, including a managed curriculum. This means that the ECD Curriculum would also be aligned to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) curriculum.
Minister for Department of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, said they understood the aim of Ramaphosa when he came with this idea. She said her Department would ensure that this migration is done without any disruption.
“The two departments should ensure that by April 1, 2021, all of this should be finalised. Zulu said a Communication Strategy had been developed which led to a series of engagements with various organisations and parties that have an interest on Early Childhood Development function.
“The Public Service Co-Ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Chamber engagement would be on-going until the function shift exercise reaches its logical conclusion. However, broader engagements in the sector had been elevated to be convened through an ECD Function Shift Summit that was planned for today (November 11, 2021),” said Zulu.
MEC for Department of Education, Fundile Gade, said this is meant to guarantee synergy in the quality of education offered to learners at a tender age while properly aligning Early Childhood Development to achieve universal quality access to ECD services for every child.
“This function shift would see about 2556 ECD Centres in the Eastern Cape being migrated from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Education as part of the function shift process,” said Gade.
He added that the main issues to be addressed by the function shift are to ensure adequate preparedness for every child that arrives at primary school; eliminate poor scoring repeating grades; group out that emanates from low levels of school readiness; increase education outcomes, like improved attention and learning outcomes, and enhance and align ECD learning to achieve universal quality access to ECD services for every child.
