GAUTENG MEC Barbara Creecy says pupils need a solid foundation for them to have a successful academic life
That is why her department is investing in early childhood development.
Yesterday Creecy said: "Before children come into the formal school system, they go to crèches.
"They are not regulated by the department of health and social development but we have decided to train the practitioners. We want it to be Educare instead of just doing crowd control.
"We want the practitioners to teach the children things that will assist them when they get to school. They should be taught how to use scissors, identify colours and to count."
So far the department has trained more that 17000 practitioners.
"In early childhood and development, we usually underspent on the budget because the money was centralised.
"We have now decided to decentralise the funds and distribute them to school governing bodies. They will know what to use the funds for."
On Monday Grade 1 pupils in the province will start learning English as a first additional language.
Teachers have been trained in the curriculum assessment policy statements (CAPS) and teaching English as a first additional language. Further just-in-time training is planned for September.
"It's a pilot project because the rest of the pupils in the country will start with CAPS in January next year.
"Gauteng also has a literacy project that is concentrated on mother-tongue education. It is not without its complexities because there are a lot of languages in the province.
"Literacy results for learners in Grade 4 for Gauteng are far worse than those of pupils in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where there is one mother tongue language. When you move to the higher grades our pupils do better," Creecy said.
She said pupils and schooling should be the responsibility of the schools and community.
"Discipline starts at home. Parents must constructively discipline their children so that when they come to school they are well behaved. If your child does something wrong at school, do not jump into defending him or her but deal with it properly with the school.
She said the department would have 2-hour homework classes at the 791 underperforming primary schools.
"This will help get the children off the streets.
"There is also a difference between being naughty and breaking the law. If pupils are caught with drugs they should be dealt with by the police. We cannot feel sorry for them and say they need counselling," Creecy said.
Solid start key for kids
GAUTENG MEC Barbara Creecy says pupils need a solid foundation for them to have a successful academic life
That is why her department is investing in early childhood development.
Yesterday Creecy said: "Before children come into the formal school system, they go to crèches.
"They are not regulated by the department of health and social development but we have decided to train the practitioners. We want it to be Educare instead of just doing crowd control.
"We want the practitioners to teach the children things that will assist them when they get to school. They should be taught how to use scissors, identify colours and to count."
So far the department has trained more that 17000 practitioners.
"In early childhood and development, we usually underspent on the budget because the money was centralised.
"We have now decided to decentralise the funds and distribute them to school governing bodies. They will know what to use the funds for."
On Monday Grade 1 pupils in the province will start learning English as a first additional language.
Teachers have been trained in the curriculum assessment policy statements (CAPS) and teaching English as a first additional language. Further just-in-time training is planned for September.
"It's a pilot project because the rest of the pupils in the country will start with CAPS in January next year.
"Gauteng also has a literacy project that is concentrated on mother-tongue education. It is not without its complexities because there are a lot of languages in the province.
"Literacy results for learners in Grade 4 for Gauteng are far worse than those of pupils in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where there is one mother tongue language. When you move to the higher grades our pupils do better," Creecy said.
She said pupils and schooling should be the responsibility of the schools and community.
"Discipline starts at home. Parents must constructively discipline their children so that when they come to school they are well behaved. If your child does something wrong at school, do not jump into defending him or her but deal with it properly with the school.
She said the department would have 2-hour homework classes at the 791 underperforming primary schools.
"This will help get the children off the streets.
"There is also a difference between being naughty and breaking the law. If pupils are caught with drugs they should be dealt with by the police. We cannot feel sorry for them and say they need counselling," Creecy said.
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