Getting to know your international contact... Part III

 
  This semester I have had an awesome experience getting to know someone in South Africa that  works in the Early Childhood Education Field. This experience was worth a thousand words here is the dialog between me and my South African contact! Enjoy!!!

What issues regarding quality and early childhood professionals are being discussed where you live and work? (With this question I presume, you mean ECD professionals in the classroom, i.e. teachers?)

· The minimum qualifications of ECD teachers. (this is pre-Grade R, ages ranging from 0-4 which is the equivalent of your pre- K)

· The government Departments role in providing for the teachers and young children. Currently a “pre-K teacher” in the communities with which we work, could earn between R300 and R1200 per months that roughly between $ 34 and $ 130 per month, if they are lucky enough to receive a salary at all.

· Government Departments role has been defined over the years however, there still gaps and inconsistencies in ECD provision. Take the point above as an example, a pre – k teacher with a qualification, even if is a teaching degree from a university, would still fall under the same section of our “Employment Act” as a domestic worker. Thus she would be subject to the same minimum wage. Whereas a Kindergarten teacher in a registered school would earn a minimum of R 3500 – R 6000 per month (), this subsidy would be paid by our Department of Education itself. Whereas the 0 – 4 year old teacher would fall under our Social Development cohort and once registered this school can apply to receive a subsidy of R 12 per child per day, if they are lucky. This is not for all children at your school, only those who meet the criteria. Then a 30% of this can be used for salaries. That means if you have 50 children who meet the criteria. You would receive R 158 400 ($ 18 000) and R 47 520 ($ 5400) could be used for salaries a year.

· Our ECD centres (0-4) would care for children between 7 am and 5 pm. Many of these teachers exceeding the amount of overtime worked as stated in the “basic conditions of employment act”. Whereas the Grade R or Kindergarten would normally start at 8h00 and end at 12h30- 13h30.

What opportunities and/or requirements for professional development exist?

· In the schools with which we work, there are learnerships available from Further Education and Training colleges and the NGO sector (establishments such as ours providing training, support and guidance in this regard). This entails attending college 1 or 2 days a week and implementing the practical side of your learning’s at your ECD centre. This is funded by government Departments and or others donors and the teachers are provided with a stipend of R 1200.

· What are some of your professional goals? · What are some of your professional hopes, dreams, and challenge

These questions – I will answer from a social service professional angle. Growing up, my family I and I lived in an area similar the ones I work with. In my professional capacity, some of the goals I have set for myself include:

· Break the cycle of poverty by creating a positive ideology of education;

· Create a platform where young children are exposed to more than the four block radius, they grow up in;

· Avail resources to community based initiatives who promote sustainable initiatives and provide the ultimate ECD services;

This will be achieved through my various early childhood development programmes across South Africa. I am also realistic that in working with these communities and laying the foundation for future generations. While there are many immediate effects of my work, i.e. New buildings, trained teachers; better resources; better leadership and administration. I believe our ultimate goal is to create a sustainable society, where people within the communities are able to “fish” and teachers others how to “fish”. As the saying goes, “give a man a fish you would have fed him for a day….. teach a man to fish you would have fed him for a life time.”)