Early childhood in South Africa is confronted with many challenges, resulting in an intensified national focus being placed on the sector (Maaga, UNICEF, 2008: p4; Desmond, 2012 in Harrison, 2013: p1). The increasing number of unregistered early childhood centres that have untrained and unskilled practitioners engaging with children daily is a threat to the education system. There is a desperate need for practitioner-training programmes, which focus on governance and management, nutrition, principles of learning and teaching.
The poor infrastructure, as well as the lack of equipment, together constitutes another Goliath threat, amongst others. Desmond (UNICEF, 2008: p7) also raises the challenge of a lack of formalised training and support for practitioners working in the early sector. Harrison (2013: p3) makes a bold statement, intimating that the quality of intervention in early childhood needs to be viewed as a package, which includes, ‘nutrition, parenting and psychosocial support, cognitive and language stimulation, literacy and numeracy development, and access to health and social services.’
In South Africa, the birth to four-year old age-group is the responsibility of several government departments, namely: the Department of Social Development, and the Department of Basic Education (Samuels, UNICEF, 2008: p40). This lack of ownership over the age group could lead to neglect and abandonment in the sector.
According to an article in the Mail and Guardian, published on 6 May 2013, the mail headline reads, ‘Teachers can’t teach, report shows’. This article continues to explain the results from the first-ever evaluation of Grade one, two and three children, and how weak the children‟s ability to read and write was shown up. The same article, (Mail & Guardian, 06/05/2013) states that ‘many teachers did not know how to inculcate problem-solving and analysis skills, and concluded that billions of rands spent on teacher training and development in the past 10 years had failed to produce results in the classroom’.
In a statement by Nick Taylor, the Department of Education‟s Head of Development stated that „the teacher’s poor subject knowledge was arguably the fundamental problem in the
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school system’. This goes to show that the level of teacher training and implementation has a detrimental effect on the quality of children exiting the school system in South Africa.
Harrison (2013: p6) believes that „in a society where families are so fragmented and parents themselves poorly educated, early childhood development is key to breaking the cycle of underachievement’.
According to research and the literature studied, there is a direct correlation between poverty, nutrition, education, crime and a good work ethic. Figure 4.2 depicts the current cycle many South African families face daily.
Figure 4.2 The current cycle of poverty that many South African families face daily
According to Nores and Barnett (2010), in Ilifa Labantwana‟s „The Essential Package (2013: p31), “Evidence from across the world, including low-income countries, demonstrates that access to early learning stimulation in the preschool years significantly enhances the ability of children from impoverished backgrounds to benefit from schooling. It also reduces the likelihood that they will drop out, and [it] increases the probability that they will be employed as adults.”
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By eliminating the element of „Poor Early Education‟ and providing children with quality early intervention, ensuring that the foundational concepts of learning are met, school drop- out rates decrease, as children would be able to cope with the level of work expected of them. Children that are not provided with adequate early intervention are unable to cope in school, which leads to school drop-outs, and an inability to get a job – thereby continuing the cycle of poverty, poor nutrition, and poor early education.
Harrison (2013: p6) believes that a „quantum leap in the provision of quality services for those children who need it most’ is fundamental in impacting society in a meaningful, sustainable manner.
The practitioner: child ratio in many early childhood centres is high – resulting in classrooms where there is one practitioner trying to educate between 60 and 80 children. In many such cases, the classrooms are small and there are not enough resources, teaching apparatus, tables and chairs for children to learn effectively. Many of the children attending these early childhood centres have walked for kilometres to get to school each day, often with very little food in their system. Children with special needs, or specific learning difficulties, are often overlooked, or labeled as „incompetent‟.
Not only do such children and practitioners face physical and infrastructural challenges, but very often there is a serious lack of support and input from parents and caregivers. Many parents are unaware of the great responsibility they have, their role in the child‟s education, as well as the support and guidance that these children so desperately require.
4.2.4 Goals for Education in South Africa
NELDS (2009: p11) states that: ‘The country’s vision for ECD is to protect children’s rights by providing environments and resources for the development of a child’s full potential in all aspects of growth and development: cognitive, emotional, social, physical and moral’. According to Ilifa Labantwana (2013: p1), a local South African organisation focused on early childhood development, and the promotion of an effective early childhood sector in South Africa is reliant on a united action across government sectors, development agencies and private institutions – in order to develop a common understanding and shared commitment in early childhood development.
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Action Plan to 2014: towards the Realisation of Schooling 2025 (2011: p1), released by the South African Department of Basic Education, describes the vision for South African education by 2025:
- ‘Learners attend school on time, every day, and take their school work seriously. They have access to computers, a good meal, sporting and cultural activities. They have respectful relationships with their friends and dependable teachers. - Teachers are confident, well-trained, and continually improving their capabilities.
They are committed to giving learners the best possible education, thereby contributing to the development of the nation. They enjoy job satisfaction because their conditions of service are decent and their pay comparable to that of other professions.
- School principals ensure teaching takes place, as it should, according to the national curriculum. Through responsible leadership, they promote harmony, creativity and a sound work ethic within the school community and beyond. - Parents are well-informed about what happens in the school, and receive regular
reports about how well their children perform against clear standards that are shared by all schools. They know they are listened to, and any concerns will be dealt with by education authorities at all levels.
- Learning and teaching materials are in abundance and of a high quality. Learners and teachers know how to use computers in the school to access information they need.
- School buildings and facilities are spacious, functional, safe and well-maintained. Learners and teachers look after their buildings and facilities, because they take a pride in their school.’
It is clear that the Department of Basic Education in South Africa has a goal and vision for education. The implementation and roll-out of this plan is, however, crucial. According to Ilifa Labantwana‟s The Essential Package (2013), although South Africa has developed a key policy in terms of early childhood development, management and structures being implemented, many of the enabling mechanisms for effective service provision are not in place, and the provision of early childhood development is still not assigned to one authority
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agency. This, therefore, affects the integration, implementation and provision of early childhood support and services to the children that need it so desperately.