Higher Education Act and National Qualifications …

1 This gazette is also available free online at CO. Educators. Childhood early for Qualifications professional approved formerly all replace Educators Development Childhood early for Education Higher in Qualifications to Leading Programmes for Requirements Minimum the on Policy the in described Qualifications The 549, No. Notice by fished The with aligns ducators Qualifications to Leading 2008). of 67 No. (Act 2008 Act, Framework Qualifications National the of 8(2)(b) section with read 1997), of 101 No. (Act 1997 Act, Education Higher the of 3 section of terms in Educators Development Childhood early for Education Higher in Qualifications to Leading Programmes for Requirements Minimum the on Policy National determined have Education , Higher on Council the consulting after Training, and Education Higher of Minister Nzimande, Emmanuel Bonginkosi I, Educators Development Childhood early for Education Higher in Qualifications to Leading Programmes for Requirements Minimum on Policy 2008) OF 67 NO.

2 (ACT 2008 ACT, FRAMEWORK Qualifications National . AND 1997) OF 101 NO. (ACT 1997 ACT, Education Higher . 40750 Higher Education Act (101/1997) and National Qualifications Framework Act (67/2008): Policy on Minimun Requirements for Programmes Leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for early Childhood Development Educators 299 31 MARCH 2017 NO. 299 . DEPARTMENT OF Higher Education AND TRAINING. Higher Education and Training, Department of/ Ho r Onderwys en Opleiding, Departement van Government Notices Goewermentskennisgewings GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 31 MARCH 2017 4 No. 40750 STAATSKOERANT, 31 MAART 2017 No. 40750 5.., Higher Education & training Department: Higher Education and Training REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA. Policy on Minimum Requirements for Programmes Leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for early Childhood Development Educators MARCH 2017. This gazette is also available free online at 6 No.)

3 40750 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 31 MARCH 2017. Table of Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations 2. Glossary 3. 1. Background to the Policy 5. early childhood development in historical context 5. An evolving early childhood development policy environment 5. 2. Purpose and Scope of the Policy 7. 3. Principles Underpinning the Policy and its Implementation 10. 4. Developing Purposeful Programmes through an Appropriate 10. Knowledge Mix for Different Programmes 5. Recognition of Prior Learning 15. 6. Credit Accumulation and Transfer 15. 7. Advanced Standing 16. 8. Work-integrated Learning 16. 9. Language Proficiency Requirements for Programmes Leading to 17. Initial Professional Qualifications for early Childhood Development Educators 10. Programmes Leading to Qualifications for early Childhood 18. Development Educators 11. Entry Level Qualification in early Childhood care and Education 19. 12. Initial Professional Qualifications for early Childhood Development 20.

4 Educators Diploma in early Childhood care and Education 20. Bachelor of Education in early Childhood care and Education 23. degree 13. Post-professional Qualifications for early Childhood Development 26. Educators Advanced Certificate in early Childhood care and Education 26. Advanced Diploma in early Childhood care and Education 28. Postgraduate Diploma in early Childhood care and Education 29. 14. Postgraduate Degrees in early Childhood Development 31. 15. Implementation of the Policy on Minimum Requirements for 31. Programmes Leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for early Childhood Development Educators 16. Approval and Accreditation of New Programmes Leading to the 32. Qualifications Described in this Policy Appendix 1: Basic Competences for Professionally Qualified early 33. Childhood Development Educators Appendix 2: Articulation of Historical and/or Current ECD 35. Qualifications into the Qualifications Described in this Policy.

5 1. This gazette is also available free online at STAATSKOERANT, 31 MAART 2017 No. 40750 7. Acronyms and Abbreviations ECD early Childhood Development ETDP SETA Education , Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority FETC Further Education and Training Certificate HCert Higher Certificate HEI Higher Education Institution HEQC Higher Education Quality Committee HEQSF Higher Education Qualification Sub-framework ICT Information and Communication Technology LoCC Language of Conversational Competence LoLT Language of Learning and Teaching MRTEQ Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications NASCA National Senior Certificate for Adults NCF National Curriculum Framework for Children from Birth to Four, 2015. NCV National Certificate (Vocational). NDP National Development Plan: Vision 2030. NELDS National early Learning Development Standards NIECD National Integrated early Childhood Development Policy NQF National Qualifications Framework NSC National Senior Certificate PGDip Postgraduate Diploma PQM Programme and Qualifications Mix QCTO Quality Council for Trades and Occupations RPL Recognition of Prior Learning SAIDE South African Institute for Distance Education SAQA South African Qualifications Authority SASL South African Sign Language TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training UMALUSI Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training WIL Work-integrated Learning 2 online at This gazette is also available free 8 No.

6 40750 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 31 MARCH 2017. Glossary Child-minders : Persons who provide care and early learning for six children or fewer, typically in their own homes. Also in some contexts referred to as day mothers . early Childhood care and Education (ECCE) : A term chosen as a qualifier to name some of the Qualifications in this Policy that are intended to develop educators who are able to support and promote early learning and development for babies, toddlers and young children. According to the Higher Education Qualification Sub-framework (HEQSF). (Council on Higher Education [CHE], 2013, p. 19), qualifiers indicate a field of specialisation, in this case ECCE. The use of a qualifier requires that at least 50% of the credits in the qualification and at least 50% of the credits at the exit level of the qualification must be in the field of specialisation. early Childhood Development Educators : Individuals who hold appropriate Qualifications that enable them to deliver or support the delivery of structured early childhood Education programmes for babies, toddlers and young children effectively.

7 Such programmes are focused on stimulating early learning, including formal curricula such as the National Curriculum Framework for Children from Birth to Four, 2015 (NCF). early Childhood Development Practitioners : Persons who provide early childhood development (ECD) services through formal ECD programmes; family services and playgroups; and training, as well as those providing management support services to these workers. early Childhood Development Programmes : Programmes that provide one, or a collection of, daily care , development and early learning services and support to a child from birth until the year before she/he enters school. These programmes include, but are not limited to: Community-based play groups operating for specific hours. Outreach and support programmes for young children and their families/caregivers at a household level. Parenting support and enrichment programmes. Support for the psychosocial needs of young children and their families.

8 ECD programmes provided at partial care facilities and child and youth care centres as contemplated in section 91(1) of the Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005. Any other programme that focuses on the care , development and early learning of children from birth to school-going age and/or their families. early Childhood : The period of human development from birth to the year before a child enters Grade R/formal school. early Childhood Development Services 1: Services or support provided to infants and young children or to a child's parent or caregiver by a government department or civil society organisation with the intention of promoting the child's early emotional, cognitive, sensory, spiritual, moral, physical, social and communication development. Grade R : An institutionalized year of learning for children in the year before Grade 1. 1. Section 91 (2) of the Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005 refers to services intended to promote early childhood development and provided by a person other than the child's parent or caregiver, on a regular basis, to children up to school-going age.

9 3. This gazette is also available free online at STAATSKOERANT, 31 MAART 2017 No. 40750 9. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has identified three models of provision of Reception Year/Grade R: those within the public primary school system, those at community- based sites and the independent provision of reception year programmes. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) : Universities and private HEIs accredited by the CHE to offer Higher Education programmes. Initial Professional Qualifications : Qualifications that lead to recognition as a beginning professional in a profession. Post-professional Qualifications : Qualifications that enable further development in a field or profession for people who already hold an initial professional qualification. This gazette is also available free online at 4. 10 No. 40750 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 31 MARCH 2017. 1. Background to the Policy early childhood development (ECD) in historical context In South Africa, there have been historical shifts in the way in which early childhood has been defined and understood (Department of Education [DOE], 2001; Ebrahim, 2010).

10 During the apartheid era, the definition of early care and Education gained its currency from service provisioning based on race. Custodial care became associated with provisioning in black pre-schools that received very little government support. early Education was associated with privilege and quality provision, with strong government support widely available to the white population group but much less so for other groups. To address the polarisation of care and Education , the concept of Educare was used to emphasize the need for a focus on Education , health, nutrition and protection (Rickards, 1991). The advent of democracy in 1994 led to the reconstruction of ECD to deal with the inequities of the past. The areas for intervention were captured in the definition of ECD, namely an umbrella term, which applies to the processes by which children from birth to nine years grow and thrive physically, mentally, emotionally, morally and socially (DOE, 1995, ).