Resources for ECDDoron Isaacs

Deputy General SecretaryEqual Education

www.equaleducation.org.za

@equal_education@doronisaacs

How do we make ECD a top priority?

• “We always see communities protest over unemployment and lack of infrastructure but never over children’s rights to early developments programmes. This is something we as a country must start to prioritise.”

– Bathabile Dlamini, Minister of Social Development, 2012.

Correct answer (15cm): 40% of Gr 3 students

Verification ANA Quintile

Gr3 Numeracy (Quest 18) 1 2 3 4 5 Total

Wrong 63% 68% 63% 57% 42% 60%

Right 37% 32% 37% 43% 58% 40%

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 4

Why is ECD be important to EE?

Grade 3 ANA problem (national)(V-ANA 2011) Source of slide: www.nicspaull.com

Grade 6 literacy in the WC

Literacy pass rates for Grade 6, by grade and ex-dept (Source: WCED, 2010)This data asks the following question: What percentage of learners perform at grade 6 level? So for example in the top left block it is how many grade 6 learners, at former Cape Education Department [CED] i.e. white schools, perform at grade 6 level? Note, HOR means House of Reps (formerly coloured schools) and DET means Dept of Education & Training (formerly black schools).

Former dept 2003 2005 2007 2009

CED 82.9 86.9 83.8 86.4

DET 3.7 4.7 14.1 24.2

HoD 58.2 76.5 74.6 82.2

HoR 26.6 35.5 42.3 46.0

WCED - - - 26.6

Province 35.0 42.1 44.8 48.6

Grade 6 numeracy in the WC

Numeracy pass rates for Grade 6, by grade and ex-dept (Source: WCED, 2010)This data asks the following question: What percentage of learners perform at grade 6 level? So for example in the top left block it is how many grade 6 learners, at former Cape Education Department [CED] i.e. white schools, perform at grade 6 level? Note, HOR means House of Reps (formerly coloured schools) and DET means Dept of Education & Training (formerly black schools).

Former dept 2003 2005 2007 2009

CED 63.6 64.5 55.0 60.2

DET 0.1 0.2 0.2 2.1

HoD 17.7 19.9 18.4 28.7

HoR 4.1 5.3 5.4 10.3

WCED - - - 3.6

Province 15.6 17.2 14.0 17.4

Children in South Africa

• 61% live below the poverty line1

• 36% live in homes where no adults employed2

• 95,000 children live in child-headed households3

• 17% of black children live in hunger4

• 7m lack direct access to clean drinking water5

• 10.5 million access Child Support Grant6

• Infant mortality cut to 34 from 52 ten years ago7

1. General Household Survey 2009 5. Child Gauge, 20102. Statistics SA (2010) 6. Child Gauge, 2010 (R280 per month)3. Child Gauge, 2011 7. Child Gauge, 20114. Ibid.

ECD Picture• Of the 51.7m people in SA about 7m are aged 0-6. Of

these 1.3m are in ECD programs, of which around 780,000 are in Grade R. 1

• There are 24,000 ECD centres, of which 18,000 are registered, of which around 9,000 are funded.

• 488,000 children (58%) are receiving ECD subsidy.2

• Around 60,000 women are employed in the sector.

1. The figure in 2012 was 767,865.2. DBE 2012, pg 82 of Atmore et al 2012 Transformation Audit.

Infrastructure: its bad in our schools…

1. Source: NEIMS 2011

Infrastructure: but even worse in ECD…

• Audit of ECD sites in 2000 showed 23,482 sites in SA, of which only 11,420 has electricity, water and toilets. And 1,669 (8%) had none of the above.1

• 21% of registered ECD centres have no elec.2

• 50% of ECD sites have piped water3

• Around 60% have flushing toilets, 10% use buckets.4

1. DBE 2001.2. UNICEF / DBE / DoSD Study, 2011. (27% of unregistered facilities lack elec.)3. Ibid4. Ibid.

5%

20%

30%

45%

Single purpose buildingTrained teacher

Learning programNo SubsidyR3500 fees

Good adminWell financed

Building, learning program,

Meal, some training

Church hall, garage, homeSome trainingSemblance of

routineSomething to

eat

Rickety, overcrowded, untrained, no

equipment, no program, basic meal

SA’s ECD Centres

How is ECD funded?

• Biggest funder of ECD in SA: Parents. • 70% - 80% of funding for the sector is by

parents.1 • Compare to schools: Only 10% of national

spend on education comes from fees (around R15bn).2

1. Prof Eric Atmore, interview, August 2013.2. Report on the 2009 2010 Annual Surveys for Ordinary Schools, DBE.

How is ECD funded?

• Teachers not employed by province employed by SGBs. Average salary around R800 per month.1

• Grade R is funded by Edu depts: R15 subsidy per child per day for 195 school days R7000 per month for everything2

• Pre-Grade R, ECD is funded by DoSD: R15 subsidy per child per day for 250 days. Child’s family means-tested at R3000 per month. (Centre must be registered.)

• School Feeding Scheme officially kicks in in Grade 1.

1. Prof Eric Atmore.2. Note: Grade R funding is calculated according to N&S published by DBE in 2006, amended in 2008.

National Planning Commission

• The National Development Plan (NDP) says there should be two years of pre-school education ‘compulsory’. i.e. Two years of compulsory Grade R.1

• Access to ECD for 0-3 year olds should be ‘universal’2

• Elsewhere the NDP is ambiguous…3

1. NPC 2012, p 69. (White Paper 5 also says Grade R ‘compulsory’ but they now say ‘universal’)2. NPC 2012, p 300.3. See pages 30, 34 and 70.

Implementing the NDP

• An additional 33,000 classrooms for Grade R would be needed by 2030, estimated at R13.2bn.1

• Additional 33,000 teachers for Grade R needed, estimated at R2bn per year.2

1. Atmore et al, 2012 Transformation Audit, 84. 2. Ibid.

Progress has been made…

• Enrolment in Grade R up from 226,631 in 2001 to around 767,865 in 2012.1

• Grade R spending up from R446m in 2004 to R3.2bn in 2010.

• Free medical and health care services for pregnant women and for children 0-6.

• 10.5 million children receiving child support grant.2

1. DoE / DBE.2. Child Gauge, 2010

Way to go…

www.equaleducation.org.za@equal_education@doronisaacs