The African National Congress (ANC) has played a crucial role in the development of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in South Africa. By championing policies and initiatives, the ANC has aimed to prioritize the education and young children.
The ANC has committed themselves these past five years to supporting and advancing all registered ECD centres.
Some of these advances are:
- Funding and Grant: The ANC government provides funding and grants to support registered ECD centres. This financial support aims to ensure that these centres can provide quality service and resources to young children.
- Training and Development: The ANC invest in training programs and professional development opportunities for ECD practitioners. This helps to improve their skills and knowledge in Early Childhood Development.
- Curriculum Development: The ANC works on developing appropriate culturally relevant ECD curricula. This ensures that registered ECD centres offer engaging and stimulating learning experience for children that align with national educational standards.
The African National Congress has made considerable efforts to promote and improve Early Childhood Development centers by prioritizing registered centers.
However, the sad reality is that for many years, ECD centres that are/were not registered do/did not receive any funding or support from the government. ANC however has promised to ensure better access to quality education through various initiatives. Over the past five years, the African National Congress has made strides in addressing the challenges faced by unregistered Early Childhood Development centres. Promising to give support, recognition and growth.
These initiatives include:
- Establishing partnership between government departments, NGOs and other stakeholders to provide training and support to unregistered ECD centres and helping them to meet the necessary requirements for registration.
- Working towards integrating ECD into formal education system.
- Advocating for legislation and policies that prioritize ECD and ensure its inclusion in national and provincial budget.
- Expanding Registration Opportunities for unregistered ECD centres. A key step in this direction was the establishment of the National Early Childhood Development Smart Start Campaign. This campaign focuses on registering and formalizing informal ECD centres, setting standards for quality care and enhancing access to training and resources for practitioners.
- Access to funding and resources, in the past five years, the ANC has prioritized improving access to funding and resources or unregistered ECD centres. Financial assistance programs have been implemented to offer grants, subsidies, or loans to unregistered ECD centres.
As a result, previously unregistered ECD centres now have increased opportunities to provide quality early education, contributing to the holistic development of young children.
Since its establishment in 1912, the key areas of focus for the ANC has been the well-being of children, particularly with regards to addressing issues related to hunger and malnutrition. There has been a considerable expansion of feeding schemes for children under the age of 7 years. Various initiatives have been launched to enhance access to nutritious meals in both urban and rural areas, including ECD centres, creches and schools.
But despite efforts led by the ANC, a significant portion of children under the age of 7 years still face inadequate access to feeding schemes, this is due to several reasons, such as poor infrastructure, limited resources and various bureaucratic challenges. As a result, the ANC’s initiatives have not reached all children in need, leaving a significant population still vulnerable to malnutrition.
By continually addressing these challenges the ANC can enhance the impact of its feeding schemes ultimately contributing to the well-being and development of South African’s youngest citizen.
