Budget Allocations Must Align with ECD Sector Realities [Video]

South Africa (08 November 2024) – In the recently delivered Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced a 5.6% annual increase in funding for basic education. This investment will be put towards improving educational outcomes through initiatives such as piloting a nutrition programme in early childhood development (ECD). While Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project, welcomes this, she stresses that more needs to be done to address the unique challenges faced by the ECD sector.

She advocates for increased engagement with the women who head up ECD centres in shaping policies and decisions, emphasising that their involvement is essential to driving meaningful reform in the sector.

“This will enhance the quality of education that they in turn provide and empower the country’s citizenry.”

“These efforts must be accompanied by the reclassification of ECD practitioners as teaching professionals,” Zelezniak insists. “Currently, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) considers ECD teachers self-employed, depriving them of career stability and undermining their …

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