Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is to embark on a roadshow to engage communities on the Second Chance Matric Support Programme (Second Chance) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) at the Kwa-Thema Skills Centre in Springs.
The Second Chance programme is aimed at providing support to learners who could not meet the pass requirements of the National Senior Certificate Examinations.
This is in response to the National Development Plan’s (NDP) injunction that retention rates should be improved and dropout rates reduced.
President Cyril Ramaphosa directed during the 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA) that “the responsibility for ECD centres will be migrated from the Department of Social Development (DSD) to Basic Education."
In a statement ahead of the Minister’s visit today, the department said government has begun the process of migrating the responsibility for ECD from the DSD to the DBE and making ECD a national priority.
“The DBE, in partnership with the LEGO Foundation is undertaking a National Census of all ECD programmes in South Africa to help map out all ECD programmes in the country and form the foundation for a data management information system for the ECD sector,” the department said.
The department added that the roadshow is aimed at initiating an engagement with communities to raise awareness on matric exams and lobby them to support educators during school hours, including the times of the exams. – SAnews.gov.za
