Western Cape Government paves the way forward for ECD migration at its first ECD Forum

Between Monday 4 October and Tuesday 5 October, the Western Cape Government hosted its first Early Childhood Development (ECD) Forum.

The ECD Forum focused on the migration or function shift of the ECD programme from the Provincial Department of Social Development to the Provincial Department of Education. The ECD migration was announced by the President in February 2019.

The Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, was joined at the ECD Forum by the Provincial Minister of Education, Debbie Schäfer, and the Provincial Minister of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez, as well as key stakeholders in the sector.

Premier Winde said, “The establishment of the ECD Forum follows the commitment made during my State of Province Address to engage with key stakeholders that are already doing excellent work in this space. ECDs are not only critical for the development of our children, and their success in life, but they are also essential to enable women to have greater access to economic opportunities.”

Premier Winde continued: “We know that ECDs and the support that they provide to children is critical as it sets the foundation for a life well-lived. Not only do they teach children basic motor, literacy and numeracy skills, but in many cases, they also provide a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment which the child may otherwise not have at home.”

While speaking at the ECD Forum, Minister Fernandez explained: “Our provincial government is required to implement a range of prescribed legal, financial and personnel processes to execute the function shift, including the issuing of a proclamation by the Premier in terms of Section 137 of the Constitution transferring responsibility for ECD to the MEC of Education with effect from 1 April 2022.”

Minister Fernandez added: “This has required extensive work for the officials involved and has been challenging to keep on track. However, when it comes to the actual ECDs, we are aiming to make this transfer as seamless as possible, with minimal disruption to the important work that you are doing for the children of this province.”

The Western Cape Government is committed to ensuring a successful function shift. As such, we have:

• Committed to the transfer of over 56 personnel from the Department of Social Development’s ECD programme to the Provincial Department of Education; and
• Conducted several consultations with the ECD sector on the function shift, together with officials and service providers from the National Departments of Social Development and Education.

Speaking to the impact of the migration on education, Minister Schäfer said: “We have already seen the move to provide Grade R within the Education sector’s remit, so it is natural to consider younger children as part of the package when it comes to the delivery of education. If we locate ECDs with Education, we create an integrated pipeline of education and support from an early age all the way to matric. Our aim is to ensure that each child is supported in a continuously supportive and reinforcing journey all the way to adulthood.”

Minister Schäfer further explained that the migration would be beneficial for the sector as the Provincial Department of Education would be well placed to improve the management of data, standardizing the curriculum, aligning health and wellbeing programmes and fostering training and development of staff. It was explained that this would further improve how well a child does in school and how prepared they are for Grade 1.

In concluding, Premier Winde reflected: “I want to take a moment to reflect and thank the many teachers who are playing their part and setting the foundation of learning for our children, in our ECDs and at our schools. In celebrating Teacher’s Day today, I want to wholeheartedly acknowledge and celebrate those working in education for the important role they are playing in child development. Thank you for giving our learners a safe and productive space to learn and grow, ensuring their every success in future.”

Premier Winde further thanked the many stakeholders present from the private sector, ECD sector, national Departments of Social Development and Basic Education, municipalities and SALGA for participating in the many robust discussions and engagement.

Source