Honourable Minister of Basic Education, Minister Angie Motshekga; Deputy Ministers; Members of the Executive Council for Social Development and Education; Directors-General of Social Development and Basic Education; Provincial Heads of Departments for Social Development and Education; Early Childhood Development Practitioners; Distinguished guests; Ladies and gentlemen; Children in attendance (You, South Africa’s future. Yes, You, our lasting hope); and Programme Director.

Today marks an historic day in the advances that South Africa’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector has been undergoing. Pursuant of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement when, during the February 2019 State of the Nation Address (SoNA), he directed [and I quote] the responsibility for ECD centres will be migrated from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education [and…] we will proceed with the process towards two years of compulsory ECD for all children, before they enter Grade 1 [Unquote].

Consequently, today’s handover of the early childhood development function to the Department of Education is the culmination of tireless efforts between Minister Motshekga and I to realise this dream of the Sixth Administration of our democratic government. We thank the Members of the Executive Councils and their teams, as well as the Directors-General and their team for bringing us to this landmark.

The latest employment data is painting a picture that says unemployment has climbed to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021. The migration of the ECD function from Social Development to Basic Education should serve as a means by which we definitively challenge this jobs’ market narrative.

Resulting from this handover to you Minister should be an increase of our collective investments in the foundation of the prospects of South Africa’s children. This is the opportunity to start dismantling inter-generational poverty among all our people. It is for this reason that fiscal allocation to social policy priorities is an economic investment than a consumption.

As the history of the ECD sector has been unfolding since the dawn of our democracy, working within inclusive inter-governmental coordinating mechanisms, and in consultation with the sector, the children and parents, the departments of Social Development and Basic Education are continuing to shape this sector’s outcomes. To this end, I am confident that in the interest of children, the two departments will, from this point onwards, renew their commitments and encourage similar commitments from across society in the many years that are ahead of us.

As we undertake this journey into our children’s certain and promising future, allow me to relate a few among key historical milestones that brought the ECD sector to this day:

In the year 1992, the World Bank and the Centre for Education Policy Development conducted a study that found that just over thirty-three percent (33%) of white children from birth to six (6) years attended ECD programmes compared to only six percent (6%) of black children of the same age.

Shortly before 1994, the African National Congress (ANC), published the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) policy in which it is recognised that [I quote] children of pre-school age have little or no access to education and training [Unquote] and a commitment is made that the provision of early learning and development opportunities for [I quote again] young children is an important step towards lifetime learning and the emancipation of women [Unquote]. 28 years after making this commitment, we can demonstrate that our government continues to grow its resolve to children and women.

We recognise the tireless contributions and work of civil society organisations in facilitating access to early learning and development opportunities for children in communities that were grossly neglected and marginalised by the pre-democracy establishment.

Countless policy and legislative developments were born from the coordination and collaboration initiatives that this government has been leading in the past 28 years. Key among these is the centrepiece legislation — Children’s Act 38 of 2005 — that is currently undergoing amendments.

The 2011 Diagnostic Review of the ECD sector served as an important impetus for the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 and the 2015 National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy. The NDP commits the country to [and I quote] make early childhood development a top priority among the measures to improve the quality of education and long-term prospects of future generations [Unquote]. It further indicates that the State should take the responsibility of ensuring that all vulnerable families receive early childhood development programmes.

In addition, the NDP recommends that [I quote] there should be a policy and programme shift to ensure that the Department of Basic Education takes the core responsibility for the provision and monitoring of ECD. Other departments should continue to provide services in a supportive capacity. Resource allocation should gradually reflect the changes in institutional responsibility for early childhood development [Unquote].

The golden thread that weaves the ECD sector together is the importance of our ECD practitioners, inclusive of ECD teachers, administrators and support staff. As was set out in the RDP in 1994, and noting that this area is work-in-progress, significant ground has been covered regarding the formalisation of the qualifications of these professionals.

Over the past two years, while government continued with measures to address, prevent, and combat the spread of CoVID-19, the Department of Social Development appreciated the inputs of our civil society partners who are representing the majority of the ECD sector. Our constructive engagements and occasionally difficult discussions have been invaluable to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the sector.

One of government’s largest interventions in support of the ECD sector is the ECD Employment Stimulus Relief Fund (ECD-ESRF) that we introduced in 2020 as an emergency relief intervention to support the ECD sector to recover from the effects of CoVID-19. With no prior experience in an intervention of this scale and complexity, I am pleased to say that the ECD-ESRF has paid out more than R330 million and benefited more than fifty-seven thousand ECD workers. All of this is owing to the support of our partners.

Not only is it our explicit commitment for every South African child to receive quality education and support that will enable them to lead a patriotic, productive and meaningful life as members of their communities. It is also our conviction that every South African is a long-awaited prospect with which the global community will be redefined the global community.

Perhaps these children belong to a higher parent — destiny — and we only need to help them to cross this one bridge within the horizon. Indeed, the children of South Africa are the embodiment of the timeless future beyond our mere horizon. Those of us who are standing here today are as bows from which they should, as arrows and swift and far, be thrust forth to hit the mark.

Ladies and gentlemen, this now brings me to the point of handing over the responsibility to lead the implementation and strengthening of South Africa’s ECD sector to the Minister of Basic Education. I am doing so by symbolically handing over a tree to Minister Motshekga. This tree represents the package of ECD services that the Minister will lead, coordinate and monitor from this point onwards.

The roots of the tree symbolise the foundations that we have already laid over the past 28 years. Well nurtured, the tree will grow stronger and continue to spurt further growth. The trunk of the tree signifies a single, strong system that organises the branches of the tree. The branches and leaves of the tree represent specialised contributions from our collective to nurture, grow and invest in ECD programmes. More than ever before, we all must work together to ensure that our ECD tree becomes the expression of inter-generational wisdom, progress and prosperity.

Thank you.