Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres should not become moneymaking schemes but incubators that groom future leaders, ECD practitioners heard at the 2016 Early Childhood Development Summit.
Addressing over 600 ECD practitioners at Springs Civic Centre, MMC for Water and Sanitation, Clr Tiisetso Nketle, shared the city’s plans to professionalise the sector.
The MMC said R2, 5 million had been set aside towards the education and training of 2 000 practitioners. A further R29 million has been injected to build 55 mobile ECD centres which will be fitted with free Wi-Fi by 2032.
“Our future leaders need every kind of mental stimulation and we believe building facilities such as children’s laboratories and ensuring availability of Wi-Fi will help us reach our goal,” she said.
The MMC also revealed that the city has been closing down non-registered facilities.
She encouraged delegates to report such centres as they put children’s lives in danger because some of the buildings and food do not comply with the required standards.
Meanwhile, Nketle urged ECD practitioners to use water sparingly and assist the country by reducing their average water consumption by 15%.
