Early Childhood Development centres in Eastern Cape handed over

The Department of Social Development and NLC have committed to work together to invest and support initiatives directed at improving access and quality of ECD, with a specific focus on children in rural communities.

Social Development Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, in partnership with the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), will today virtually hand over eight Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres across the Eastern Cape province.

The Department of Social Development and NLC have committed to work together to invest and support initiatives directed at improving access and quality of ECD, with a specific focus on children in rural communities.

Hundreds of children from rural communities in the Eastern Cape stand to benefit from the opening of new state-of-the-art ECD centres.

Chapter 9 of the National Development Plan (Vision 2030) acknowledges the importance of education in dealing with poverty and inequality in South Africa.

In fulfilling the goals of the NDP, South Africa is making investments in its future, with a specific focus on improving ECD.

ECD was declared a public good, thus prioritising its expansion to all children as part of government’s first 1 000 Days campaign.

The department said the purpose of ECD centres is to protect the rights of children to develop their full cognitive, emotional, social and physical potential.

“The department still continues with the registration, provision and administration of the ECD subsidy, and ECD centres are encouraged to register their programmes,” the department said.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)