The Status of Early Childhood Education in South Africa: A Systematic Review on the Alignment of Policy and Practice for Whole-Child Development

• In Event: Centering Whole-Child Development in Global Education Reform: How National Education Policies Work (or Not) for Quality and Equity

Abstract

Objectives
International assessments and regional African assessments continuously reveal poor performance of South African students since the country’s participation from 1999 (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS]; Progress in International Reading Literacy Study [PIRLS]; Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality [SACMEQ]). This poor performance has led to many interventions and policy revisions. However, evaluation studies indicate little improvement. Several reviews and studies reflect on the historical impact of inequities for this state of whole child development. This paper presents the systematic review of whole childhood education in South Africa. The review was guided by two research questions: (1) How Apartheid influenced whole childhood development in South Africa, and (2) How post-apartheid policies brought a desirable change in the whole childhood development.

Theoretical Framework and Perspectives
Practices in South Africa during the Apartheid were rooted in the philosophy of H F Verwoerd who was well-known as “the architect of Apartheid.” In addressing whole-childhood development during this era, racial segregation determined whether to provide or not to provide whole-childhood development. The Apartheid’s whole-childhood development as abuse and neglect of children that was demonstrated in compulsory and free education for white children only (Atmore, 1998). Subsequently, the education offered to black Africans was of low quality with limited resources, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient infrastructure, and ill-equipped teachers (Sayed & Kanjee, 2013). The democratic government in 1994 brought a beacon of hope; however, the legacy of Apartheid persisted.

Data & Methods
A desktop review of government documents on early childhood development within the period of this review was synthesised, commissioned research, reviews as well as research on early whole childhood development. These documents were collected from government websites, google scholar, research gate, early whole childhood reports, South African journals of early whole childhood development, international journals of early whole childhood focus on South African research only. The authors shared the documents found, triangulate to make sure that all data bases were explored, we then annotated all the searched documents individually. When all the annotation process was completed, each author wrote analytical memos then came together to triangulate those annotations and memos. After the triangulation was done, coding of the data supported by analytical memos was matched for theme identification.

Findings and Implications
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers and families are heavily stricken by poverty which contributes to the disadvantage of their children as compared to their counterparts in well-resourced ECD centers, underpaid ECD practitioners, uneven distribution of the resources, minimal ECD government subsidy, unemployment, reluctance of the government in implementing the existing policies on inequality in ECD centers. Whole childhood development in South Africa is scarred by poverty from birth to 17 years of age. This review recommends that the government: deals decisively with poverty and unemployment; supports ECD centers with resources equally, i.e., infrastructure and qualified practitioners; include ECD practitioners on the pay-roll; to set the minimum level of qualification for entry ECD practitioners. Also, the government needs to enhance the quality of education offered to all children purposefully.

Authors

• Nosisi Nellie Feza, University of Venda
  Presenting Author

• Shakespear Chiphambo
  Presenting Author