Background

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced in his February 2019 State of the Nation Address that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) will have technical oversight over the early childhood development (ECD) sector. The Minister of Basic Education in her 2019 Budget Speech reiterated migration of ECD from DSD to DBE.

DBE subsequently established several structures, including national and provincial project management teams and workstreams, to facilitate the process for the function shift. Based on the recommendation from the Office of the Chief State Law Advisors (OCSLA), both Departments have drafted two Proclamations.

The first Proclamation is signed by the President, while the second Proclamation is signed by the Premiers for the transfer of power and functions to the MEC responsible for Basic Education in each Province. The proclamations further specify that the date of the implementation of the ECD function shift will be 1 April 2022.

The move will allow for a standardised ECD function, to ensure structured learning in the sector, including a managed curriculum. This means that the ECD curriculum will also be aligned to the CAPS curriculum. Secondly, the shifting of the function from DSD to DBE will allow the DBE to manage the educational journey of young children, from play-based learning to their final paper in Grade 12.

Furthermore, the transfer will provide an opportunity to improve access to quality early learning, to develop a publicly funded national ECD system.

The Eastern Cape Department of Education and the Eastern Cape Social Development have embraced the requirements to transfer the ECD function and have embarked on a joint implementation initiative.

A Stakeholder engagement summit will take place before the end of September 2021 to
brief all affected parties and or stakeholders. This will be done virtually to observe the
Covid – 19 protocols.

“Building a solid foundation for learning”