Compass Academy of Learning give learners direction
The Compass Academy of Learning recently awarded the Early Childhood Development (EDC) practitioners during their graduation with certificates and diplomas for successfully completing their studies.
LIMPOPO – The Compass Academy of Learning recently awarded the Early Childhood Development (EDC) practitioners during their graduation with certificates and diplomas for successfully completing their studies.
In 2000, the Department of Basic Education together with the European Union Technical Support Project conducted an audit of Early Childhood Development (ECD) provisioning throughout South Africa. The aim of the audit was to provide accurate information on the nature and extent of ECD provisioning, services and resources across the country in order to inform and support on-going policy and planning initiatives in this crucial and expanding sector.
The data suggests less than one sixth of the 6,4 million children in the 0-7 age cohort in the country are in some form of ECD provisioning, with just less than half of the 5-6 year age cohort being accommodated (413 000 out of an estimated 960 000).
In Limpopo 73% of the ECD sites in the study was community-based (national average 49%) and 85% of the sites were in the rural areas. 42% of the educators in Limpopo involved in this study were trained by NGO’s (which is not acknowledged by the Department of Education). 28% were under-qualified and only 12% were suitably qualified. The study also indicated the ratio of learners per educator is very high at 23:1 (national average 19:1).
“These statistics is a reason for concern. Various organisations and the government have undertaken projects in training ECD practitioners but as the majority of these practitioners are functioning in rural areas they do not have the resources and access to facilities such as the internet to ensure they are fully equipped.
“One of the ways to change matric results is to start providing excellent Early Childhood Development training and this can only be done by training ECD practitioners qnd also through equipping them with the correct programme and training aids suitable for the specific environment. This was the aim with the level four and five programmes were completed by these learners,” Elaine van Rensburg, managing director of Compass Academy of Learning, explained.
Heila Nare, one of the learners, said they are most grateful for the opportunity and they will use the skills and knowledge they have received to make a difference in the schools and community where they are based. She also pleaded with the Department of Basic Education to look at the teacher-learner ratio in the foundation classes as well as providing a conducive environment in public schools to implement the skills and knowledge they have obtained.
Compass Academy of Learning can be contacted for more information on the Early Childhood Development courses and other courses at (015) 491 8225 or 082 975 6095.
