Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini will on 26 May 2014 table the Department of Social Development’s Budget Vote to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) at the NCOP chambers in Parliament, Cape Town.
Minister Dlamini is expected to highlight the department’s achievements over the previous financial year at provincial level as well as outline the strategic plan for the current year.
The delivery of the NCOP Budget Vote will be coupled with visits to two Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre within the Western Cape. Minister Dlamini will also hold an engagement with ECD practitioners from the Western Cape on their challenges and together find ways to help them improve the services they provide to children.
These activities are a precursor to Child Protection Week, which Government will launch on 31 May, and are meant to highlight the importance of ECD services in the protection and development of children.
Government, as directed by the resolutions of the ANC’s 53rd National Elective Conference, is working towards universal access to early childhood development in South Africa. The Department of Social Development is working to ensure universal provision of this essential service for the first 4 years of every South African child’s life. To underline this commitment, ECD has been declared a public good.
A 2014 audit of ECD centres across the country has found that 46 per cent of audited ECD centres in the Western Cape were not registered, while 48 per cent were operating under conditional registration.
The reason for the conditional registration of these ECDs is failure to meet norms and standards in terms of infrastructure, equipment, number of staff, and skills of staff, just to name a few.
The Minister will therefore engage with ECD practitioners in the region on expanding access to ECD services through a multi-pronged strategy that includes centre based and non-centre based modalities; infrastructure investments; training and improving the qualifications of practitioners; curriculum development; and provision of teacher learning and stimulating materials.
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover Minister’s visit to ECD Centres as well as the engagement with ECD practitioners, which are scheduled as follows:
Dalukhanyo ECD Centre visit
Date: 26 May 2015
Time: 09h00
Place: Kwa-Langa Township
Ark Angel Educare ECD Centre visit
Date: 27 May 2015
Time: 10h00
Place: Overcome Heights, Lavender Hill, Western Cape
Dialogue with ECD Practitioners
Date: 26 to 27 May 2015
Time: 08h30 daily
Venue: Lavender Hill High School Hall, Lavender Hill, Western Cape
For media RSVPs, please contact Mr Jaconia Kobue on 073 026 1111 or jaconiak@dsd.gov.za
Please send media enquiries to:
Ms Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
