ERMELO – The deputy minister of basic education, Dr Reginah Mhaule, with the Mpumalanga education MEC, Mr Bonakele Majuba, visited Hoërskool Ermelo on May 26 as part of the early childhood development (ECD) transition programme.
President Cyril Ramaphosa previously announced the responsibility for ECD centres to migrate from the Department of Social Development (DSD) to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) during the State of the Nation Address in 2019.
Due to Covid-19, the transition was formally made on April 1 when the minister of social development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, handed over the ECD function to the minister of basic education, Ms Angie Motshekga.
Dr Mhaule’s visit gave Gert Sibande District ECD practitioners an opportunity to raise questions with the relevant DBE and DSD officials.
In her address, the deputy minister reassured practitioners that the transition of these centres from department to department would not disrupt the running thereof, but is rather aimed at improving these centres as well as offering training services that will enable practitioners to start or further their studies.
“The DBE will now be responsible for ensuring the availability and adequate quality of and equitable access to inclusive learning opportunities for children from birth up until the year before they enter formal school,” Dr Mhaule said.
She added basic education would fulfil this responsibility through the development, delivery, regulation, registration, quality monitoring, improvement and evaluation of early childhood development programmes that would be available to ECD centres.
Dr Mhaule and Mr Majuba recently visited Ndlela Secondary School in Piet Retief as part of the support programme that is aimed to enable learner’s performance, teacher development, good administration and governance.
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