In a stakeholder summit held by North West Department of Education and Department of Social Development on 09&10 March 2022, both departments put their stakeholders into confidence of their state of readiness for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) function shift.
South Africa Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), South African Congress for ECD (SACECD), National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) were among stakeholders present that approve and support the function shift of ECDs.
North West Education Superintendent- General Mrs Stephinah Semaswe says stakeholder engagement is an intentional effort to make the ECD function shift a success.
“The intended outcome of the summit is to ensure that all the stakeholders are taken on board in relation to ECD Function Shift from the Department of Social Development to Department of Education. Our foresight to this summit is aimed towards enhancing understanding of ECD centres, promotion of consultation and communication of the executive decision to affected ECD centres and practitioners as well as empowering stakeholders to understand the rationale for the migration of the ECDs” Semaswe explains.
Social Development’s acting Chief Director for Community Development Thato Mosieleng said the summit given them an opportunity to assess the extent to which the migration of the ECDs function has progressed so far.
Mosieleng said, adding that his department would continue to support the Department of Education beyond the 1 April 2022 to ensure the smooth transition of the function.
The relationship with the NPO sector, Mosieleng said will be maintained such that they remain compliant to the NPO Act.
He said social development will also ensure that they provide capacity building to all NPOs in areas of governance, resource mobilization and conflict management.
Both departments are well underway to hand over and to receive ECDs with 90 percent progress registered.
The official migration or function shift will be on Friday, 01 April 2022.
For more info please contact:
Elias Malindi
Education Spokesperson
072 892 8399/ 072 115 4855
