Linda Biersteker - scaling up ecd in south Africa

Scaling up ECD in South Africa

LINDA BIERSTEKER

III International Symposium on ECD Facing complex social problems – innovation in scaling-up actions Sao Paulo, 2 & 3 October 2013

research@elru.co.za

Outline  South African context (indicators, service

access)  Description of the ECD Programme  Successes and challenges  Lessons learned and implications for scale up of services – the new ECD Policy and Comprehensive Programme process

Limpopo

Centre for the Analysis of South African Social Policy

University of Oxford

Some key indicators  Population 0 – 4 years million 5.68 million

5 - 6 years      

960 000

Infant mortality rate 42 per 1000 Under 5 mortality rate 57 per 1000 58% of children under 9 in income poverty 25% of under 5 year olds stunted, 9 % underweight 29.5 % of pregnant women HIV + Education outcomes at Grade 3 – Literacy pass 52% ; mathematics pass 41%

ECD Programmes in South Africa  Area of policy and legislative focus and national planning

priority – defined holistically but often understood as early education.  0 – 4 years: National Integrated Plan for ECD 2005 - 2010  5 – 6 years: Reception Year as a first year of formal schooling  Key programmes in support of young children Free health care pregnant and lactating mothers and young children Child support grant R 290 ($35) monthly to poor (no conditions) Reception year

Services for children 0 - 4 years

National Integrated Plan has been service delivery framework involving Depts of health, education and social development (welfare) and three levels of government  Wider service package – Maternal and child health, stimulation, social assistance, birth registration, psychosocial support  2.5 to 3 million poor children – priority target  Multiple delivery modes and sites – home, community and centre

Key line departments for 0 – 4 year services Monitoring

Lead DOE

DSD

DOH

DOE

DSD

DOH

SOCIAL SERVICE

HEALTH SERVICE

DWCPD Presidency

PREMIER OFFICE

Mayor’s office

NATIONAL

PROVINCIAL

LOCAL

Birth to 5 years

e.g Home visiting

Playgroups childminding

Preschools

Home & community based programmes ECD awareness, health & nutrition

Home & community based programmes: stimulation

Preschools and Reception Year

Achievements since democracy - Access to services children 0 – 6 years (%) 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

But remaining challenges  Continuing disparities in quality and access by

population group, income status, age (mostly older children), rural/urban divide, few children with disabilities in ECD programmes  Limited public funding and provision of early stimulation opportunities (ECCE 0 – 4)  Service fragmentation – care vs education, health and other social services not integrated  No support for parenting – high maternal depression  High stunting levels

Scaling up Reception Year

 2001 ECD White Paper  Reception year for five year olds as first year of

schooling system by 2010 under Department of Education  85% in public schools, 15% in community schools  Approved training for all educators without a specialised qualification for Reception Year  Funding from provincial education departments – poverty targeted  Norms and standards for Reception Year funding 2008  Extension to 2014 in 2008

What worked  Period of piloting interim policy, development of

accredited training programmes and national audit  Conditional grant (ring-fenced funding) to kick-start programme  Legislation of funding norms and standards – pro poor funding formula  Nutrition programme for low quintile schools  High political will seen in budget increases ($119.5 million in 2008/9 to $420 million for 2014/15

Challenges – especially quality  Location in existing infrastructure of public schools but many

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schools lack infrastructure, learning materials and understanding of ECD Tendency to formalise early learning when located in schools Ratio of 1:30 not always enforced Lack of properly qualified teachers Provincial budgeting process (and variation in salaries and subsidies) Insufficient officials in provinces and districts to administer, monitor and support Reception Year is not fully part of formal schooling – due to different funding model and teachers not falling under norms and standards for educators Low status and salary of Reception year teachers

Interventions to improve quality

 Teacher training opportunities

 Infrastructure provision in budget  Norms and standards for funding –minimum inputs

specified, provide for monitoring outputs but only up to 70% of Grade 1 funding  Draft standards for quality learning programme  Model schools, curriculum guidance and additional national monitoring of provincial programmes  Resource pack – posters, stories, teacher guide, lesson plans and assessment framework

Draft Policy Framework: Universal Access to Reception Year 2013  Compulsory by 2019

 Teacher training: new diploma in Grade R (school leaving

plus three years )as minimum  Better alignment of Grade R curriculum with school curriculum assessment policy statements  Post provisioning and bringing in line with norms and standards for school funding  Integrated into schooling M&E framework

Key systemic barriers to effective delivery in South Africa (0 – 4 years) Policy and planning

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Governance

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Resources

Delivery

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Limited integration across policies Fragmentation and uncoordinated planning for young children Uneven quality of information systems and data A gap between policy and practice Lack of planning based on population (age) and geographical coverage Insufficient inter-sectoral collaboration, coordination and service integration Limited accountability across sectors Inadequate funding and funding models Limited human resources Insufficient service infrastructure Unequal access and quality of services within and across sectors (skewed to urban, preschools and older children) Limited monitoring and support to ensure quality

What must be fixed to enable scale up of services for children 0 - 4 years?  Clear institutional arrangements – role specification

and integration mechanism  Population based approach  Legislation to ensure resourcing is mandatory  Better data for planning, clarity re targets for different services  Sufficient departmental staff for administration, monitoring and support  Build on existing infrastructure (ECD centres, clinics community centres) and existing NGO programmes  Advocacy and communication strategy - strengthen demand as well as supply

Addressing challenges: work in progress  Diagnostic Review commissioned by Department of

Performance Management and Evaluation (2012)  National Planning Commission by 2030 - universal Nutrition, stimulation, parenting 0 – 3 years

Additional preschool year for 3 – 4 years  Integrated ECD Programme of Action 2013 – 2018

 ECD Policy and Comprehensive Programme currently

under development.