Mayor Mashaba launches expanded ECD programme

01 December 2016

 

Thousands of children in poor communities are to benefit from the City of Johannesburg’s expanded and improved Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme announced by Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba at the Salvation ECD Centre in Doornkop, Soweto, this week.

 

The initiative, a partnership with Hollard Trust, seeks to deliver quality foundation education that would, in turn, improve children’s developmental prospects and potential.

Under the initiative, 6 000 children will gain access to ECD programmes by June 2017. At least 400 ECD centres will be assisted to meet compliance standards, while 3 800 practitioners will be provided with requisite training through Hollard Trust’s Smart Start Programme.

The Mayor’s Office and the City’s departments of Health and Social Development, Public Safety and Development Planning, as well as Hollard Trust’s Hub and Spoke Model, are all involved in the initiative, which is being championed by the City’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health and Social Development, Cllr Mpho Phalatse.

“Today we confirm our partnership with Hollard Trust to fast-track the expansion and improvement of ECD programmes in our city,” Mayor Mashaba said on Wednesday November 30.

“More than 300 000 children do not have access to ECD programmes in the city. In partnership with Hollard, we are committed to drastically reducing this figure during my term in office and we will ensure that our budget next year reflects this commitment. As a City, we are responding to the expectations of our citizens by extending the reach of ECD centres and improving the quality of education offered to our children.”

Studies show that there are more than 50 000 children in 17 priority wards who do not have access to ECD programmes. Over 70% of facilities do not have approved building plans, 77% do not have health permits and 85% do not have fire clearance certificates.

Many of the ECD practitioners do not have the necessary qualifications and the programmes they offer do not prepare the children for the formal schooling system.

“Four departments in the City are currently working together to design an ECD compliance process and a manual to assess the existing facilities in order to turn them into a safe environment and to ensure that parents receive their value for money,” Mayor Mashaba said.

“This is why our partnership with the Hollard Trust is of such importance. The Hollard Trust has a successful track record of investing in programmes that improve the long-term prospects for the current generation of young South Africans, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“This project is particularly close to my heart. I have been saddened to see how millions of our children are being failed by an education system that for different reasons has become largely dysfunctional. We need interventions to provide young children from disadvantaged backgrounds with quality care, allowing their parents to pursue work opportunities,” Cllr Mashaba said.

Cllr Phalatse said the goal was to reverse the numbers by 2021. “We have set a target of ensuring that 400 non-compliant ECD centres across our city are compliant with land use by-laws by June 2017.”

Hollard CEO Ntjantja Ned said his company, which had been involved in similar programmes since 2006, was committed to investing in children. “We recognise that investment starts early. We applaud the women who run these projects. They have staying power.”