The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga presented the budget for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for the 2023/24 financial year at the National Assembly in Cape Town.
The department was allocated R31.8 billion which is an increase of 7% from the previous year's overall allocation.
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme was allocated R200 million for this financial year.
The ECD programme was recently shifted from the Department of Social Development to the DBE.
The Minister says that many studies have been conducted including a census at 42,000 ECD centres around the country which highlighted many access challenges.
"We are in the process of developing a new publicly planned, coordinated and funded mixed ECD model which is based on social inclusive principles of access, equity, redress, inclusivity, efficiency and quality." said Motshekga.
The DBE is also working with the Department of Social Development to regulate the alliance function by amending the Child's Act.
They have worked with the Presidency Red Tape Reduction Team to identify areas where registration processes may be streamlined and enabling collaboration with local governments.
The quality of ECD programmes has been studied and data has shown that only 45% of children in the country are currently attending ECD programmes and only 45% of those who are attending are on track academically.
Motshekga said:
45% revealed that these children who are attending these programmes will not write by the time they reach the age of five and 6% of them are chronically stunted and also have major malnutrition.
Another study also showed that the current model of funding ECD programmes as Non-Profit Organisations must be reviewed.
According to the study, ECD programmes must ensure that children are ready to enter formal schooling therefore it is important to have a new, holistic and inclusive model which includes all committees of trust in the ECD space and departments whose functions and constitutional obligations link them to children.
Motshekga says that school infrastructure remains a priority for the department. Since 2018 more than 2,700 out of around 3 300 schools have been provided with appropriate sanitation and the Minister says that the remaining schools should be completed within this financial year.
The department has created an Infrastructure Plan to accelerate the roll out of school infrastructure and the conditional grant for infrastructure delivery has been allocated R13.9 billion for this financial year.
The Minister says that the department has been advised to establish dedicated workstreams which focus on the preparation for school infrastructure, procurement documents, develop schools Norms and Standards and ensure that the maintenance of schools is a norm.
