WESSELTON – The Department of Basic Education (DBE) held a road show for second-chance matric support and early childhood development (ECD) at Wesselton Primary School on May 17.

The programme aimed at giving residents, especially ECD founders and practitioners, an opportunity to interact with Dr Reginah Mhaule, the deputy minister of basic education, as well as those who want to rewrite their matric or further their studies, information as part of the build-up for the upcoming presidential imbizo in Carolina on May 20.

“The early years of a child’s development are the most important, and we are grateful to the practitioners and the entire ECD workers for their role in shaping the early years of our children and providing them with early learning opportunities that will enable them to develop and reach their full potential,” Dr Mhaule said.

She added that in February 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that ECD should be moved from the social development department to the basic education department since its practitioners teach.

The migration was planned to take place in April 2021, but due to Covid-19, it was postponed until April 2022.

“I’d like to thank Ms Lindiwe Zulu, the minister of social development, and Ms Angie Motshekga, the minister of basic education, for meeting and discussing how to move the process forward. Change is difficult, but the ministers guaranteed that it happened by leading from the front.”

“DBE will continue to assist social development by allocating funds and providing in-service training to boost practitioners’ ongoing development. This training is necessary for the successful implementation of the national curriculum framework for children from birth to four years old, as well as the registration, monitoring, and support of ECD programmes.”

Mhaule also encouraged the audience to register online for the second-chance matric support initiative, which allows students to rewrite their matric and improve their grades.

Read the complete article on Highvelder newspaper.