Latest news with #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment
Eyewitness News
13-06-2025
- General
- Eyewitness News
New crèches may have to close because of late payments by education department
Four Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Loskop (eMangweni), a rural area in the Drakensberg, have moved into new buildings but are struggling to stay open because the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has failed to pay subsidies on time. The subsidies are set by the national government, currently at R17 a day per child. Subsidies are expected to increase this year, for the first time since 2017, to R24 a day per child. GroundUp has previously reported on how late payments have affected hundreds of ECD centres in KZN. These late payments resulted in legal action, and the department was ordered to pay three crèches the subsidies owed them within 10 days. Five crèches in the Loskop area have new buildings provided through the Santa Shoebox Project but are currently struggling to receive funding. A fifth, due to move into new buildings soon, may have to downscale before then. Soul City Creche is one of the five centres affected. The last payment the crèche received, in March this year, was a back payment for November, December and January, says Cecilia Mbatha, the centre's founder. The centre is now owed around R35,000 by the department, and Mbatha says she is not sure how long it can continue operating. Soul City receives R7,000 a month from the department, which is supposed to cover 20 of its 58 children, says Mbatha. But the centre spends at least R4,000 a month just on food or those 20 children, she says. When the creche eventually does get paid, it will have to back pay its staff who have not received a salary for the last three months, says Mbatha. 'It's so terrible to work with people you can't even give R100 to. They've got their own families.' Soul City moved into its newly built crèche in 2020 when funding was still distributed by the Department of Social Development. According to Mbatha, there were issues with funding back then, but things got a lot worse with late payments when the KwaZulu-Natal department of education took over the grant payments in 2022. It's hard to work in a brand new building and still struggle for money, she says. Siphiwe Samangwe, another centre in the Loskop area, has not received funding since November last year. In total, the centre is owed around R58,344 by the department. The centre is also a beneficiary of the Santa Shoebox project and is due to move into a new building soon. But without funding, says principal Cynthia Mabasa, the centre will not be able to look after the 90 children in its care. Most of the parents of the children are unemployed and can afford very little in the way of fees, says Mabaso. But the centre will try to find ways to stay open because its services are badly needed in the community, says Mabaso. Three other centres have been built by Santa Shoebox in the Loskop area. They have brand new facilities and meet all the department's requirements, but they have been denied funding, says Debbie Zelezniak, Santa Shoebox Project CEO. The department has never provided a proper reason, says Zelezniak. One of the creches, Qandokuhle Educare Centre, is close to having to shut its doors to its 28 beneficiaries after being in its new building for less than three years. The problem of late payments is widespread throughout Loskop, says Terry Ralph, chairperson of Fundisa Umntwana, a non-profit organisation which assists ECD centres in the Loskop area. Ralph, who is also the manager for the Santa Shoebox construction projects in Loskop, says about 20 centres have either received late payments or been denied funding at the last minute. These ECD centres are allowed to go through the whole process to apply for funding, only to be told the department has no money and cannot accept any more beneficiaries, says Ralph. The department had not responded to GroundUp's questions by the time of publication. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
IOL News
11-06-2025
- General
- IOL News
Government's lack of political will hinders early childhood development in South Africa
Calling for unity in Early Childhood Development. Front, from left: Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg (Inceba Trust), Nicole Biondi (The Wayfinder), Mariza Lubbe (Remgro). Back, from left: Justin Mason (Sectional Title Solutions), Nielen Bekker (Inceba Trust), Prof Eric Atmore (Centre for Early Childhood Development) and Hein Koegelenberg (La Motte). Image: Supplied The most pressing issue facing early childhood development in South Africa is the lack of political will by the government to meet the needs of young children. This was said by prof. Eric Atmore, director of the Centre for Early Childhood Development, on the back of a stakeholder engagement recently held at LaMotte in Franschhoek. Atmore said linked to this is the very low budget allocation for programmes to support young children in their early development, especially for early learning programmes. The engagement, which was hosted by the Inceba Trust, an organisation on a mission "to prepare preschool children in body, mind and soul for a future filled with hope, confidence and courage". Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg, founder of the Inceba Trust said their overarching goal is to support Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres to facilitate environments where children can flourish, so they are learning-ready when they reach Grade R. "To achieve this, Inceba Trust and our network of stakeholders run programmes to support ECD centres, caregivers, parents and communities in the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa." Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Prof. Atmore said 31 years into democracy, and with the right legislation in place and data available there is a lack of action from government to implement the legislation and prioritise early childhood development. "There is more than enough research data to inform optimal action for programmes to meet young children's needs. The 2021 ECD Census provides excellent data upon which government and non-profit organisations can plan their activities. The weakness is that the data is largely ignored when strategies and plans are developed for young children. "We have the legislation in place, government simply does not implement it. Whilst the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child is not legislation, the South Africa government signed both these international documents and yet is not adhering to either. From a legislative perspective, Parliament and citizens must hold the Government of National Unity to account." At the get-together at LaMotte, which sought collaboration to support ECD centres and education, premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, said in a video message that through collaboration with various stakeholders, children must be given the best possible start in life to share in the province's prosperity. "Everything we do as the Western Cape Government is aimed at equipping our children with the skills and support they need for success." Rupert-Koegelenberg said Inceba Trust currently supports 201 ECD centres, 1000 staff members and 8293 children in the rural areas of the Western Cape in Franschhoek, Groenheuwel, Kayamandi, Klapmuts, Mbekweni, Paarl East,Wellington, Worcester and the Northern Cape in Ritchie (Kimberley). Prof. Atmore said the training of ECD teachers is critically important but South Africa has no ECD teacher training strategy in place, 31 years after democracy. "Our ECD centres and programmes are minimally supported through the meagre ECD subsidy, which is entirely insufficient. Also, ECD programmes lack appropriate and sufficient education equipment for optimal child development," said prof. Atmore. Speaking at LaMotte Hein Koegelenberg, chief executive officer of LaMotte and Leopard's Leap Wines said in order to raise a generation of skilled and capable adults who play a positive role in communities it has to start and the beginning "ensuring that children are supported during their formative first five years". Prof. Atmore said parents have a critical role to play in the home, at the ECD centre and at ECD programmes. "We must continue to guide parents as to the importance of the earliest years of life for a child's optimaldevelopment."
The Star
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Lack of support for Gauteng ECD centres leaves children vulnerable
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has constantly failed in its mandate to provide effective oversight and support for Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in line with Section 94 of the Children's Act (2005). A glaring example is the unresolved impasse over the Bantu Bonke ECD Centre in Vereeniging, where more than 100 children have been denied access due to bureaucratic confusion between the GDE and the Department of Social Development regarding the facility's transfer and ownership. The injustice continues; the ECD government subsidy, which was suspended at R17 per child per day since 2019, is set to increase to R24 in 2025. This increment still falls short of the target of R36 per child per day, which experts say would be sufficient to cover the costs of beneficial ECD programmes. Moreover, recent statistics from the 2024 General Household Survey further illustrate the scale of the issue: only 41.1% of children aged 0–4 in Gauteng attend formal Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilities. GDE has spent over R186 million on management fees for ECD logistics from 2019 to 2024, rather than directly benefiting the children. The MEC of Education, Matome Chiloane, failed to provide a basic register of the number of ECD centres that meet the basic infrastructure standards in Gauteng. He was responding to the DA's questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL). These shortcomings have left thousands of children without access to quality early learning, undermining the province's developmental goals and perpetuating educational inequality. The DA Gauteng demands that the GDE prioritise universal access to ECD programmes by ensuring that proper facilities are available to all children, particularly in disadvantaged and impoverished communities. Sergio Dos Santos MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education
IOL News
08-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Lack of support for Gauteng ECD centres leaves children vulnerable
Gauterng Department of Education has spent over R186 million on management fees for Early Childhood Development logistics from 2019 to 2024, rather than directly benefiting the children, says the writer. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has constantly failed in its mandate to provide effective oversight and support for Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in line with Section 94 of the Children's Act (2005). A glaring example is the unresolved impasse over the Bantu Bonke ECD Centre in Vereeniging, where more than 100 children have been denied access due to bureaucratic confusion between the GDE and the Department of Social Development regarding the facility's transfer and ownership. The injustice continues; the ECD government subsidy, which was suspended at R17 per child per day since 2019, is set to increase to R24 in 2025. This increment still falls short of the target of R36 per child per day, which experts say would be sufficient to cover the costs of beneficial ECD programmes. Moreover, recent statistics from the 2024 General Household Survey further illustrate the scale of the issue: only 41.1% of children aged 0–4 in Gauteng attend formal Early Childhood Development (ECD) facilities. GDE has spent over R186 million on management fees for ECD logistics from 2019 to 2024, rather than directly benefiting the children. The MEC of Education, Matome Chiloane, failed to provide a basic register of the number of ECD centres that meet the basic infrastructure standards in Gauteng. He was responding to the DA's questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL). These shortcomings have left thousands of children without access to quality early learning, undermining the province's developmental goals and perpetuating educational inequality. The DA Gauteng demands that the GDE prioritise universal access to ECD programmes by ensuring that proper facilities are available to all children, particularly in disadvantaged and impoverished communities. Sergio Dos Santos MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education
GMA Network
05-06-2025
- General
- GMA Network
DepEd revises policy, widens entry age for Kindergartens
The new policy states that children who turn five years old on or before October 31 of the school year, from the current August cutoff, may now enroll in Kindergarten. The Department of Education (DepEd) has revised the age cut-off policy for admission, which will expand the window for learners turning five years old. Due to this, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said more Filipino children would be eligible for Kindergarten. The new policy will take effect this School Year 2025-2026. 'This policy is rooted in our understanding that every child grows and learns at their own pace,' Angara said in a press release on Thursday. 'By allowing more flexibility in the Kindergarten age requirement, we are making sure that each learner has the opportunity to start strong and succeed from day one.' The new policy states that children who turn five years old on or before October 31 of the school year may now enroll in Kindergarten. This extends the previous cut-off date of August 31, which eases restrictions for families with children born later in the year. The policy also allows conditional admission for children turning five between November 1 and December 31, provided that they complete a one-year Early Childhood Development (ECD) program from a recognized center or pass an ECD readiness checklist during enrollment. The DepEd said private schools are covered by the directive but may implement additional readiness assessments as part of their screening process. In 2024, more than 1.8 million Kindergarten learners were enrolled across the country out of 26.4 million learners nationwide. The DepEd anticipates a higher turnout this year, with public school enrollment scheduled from June 9 to 13, 2025, and classes starting on June 16.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
