Philippi educare centres get R12m upgrade
CApe Town-160608-Pupils from Noncedo Educare in Phillippi during the reopening of their centre after it received a comprehensive upgrade-Picture by BHEKI RADEBE CApe Town-160608-Pupils from Noncedo Educare in Phillippi during the reopening of their centre after it received a comprehensive upgrade-Picture by BHEKI RADEBE
Michael Nkalane
THREE early childhood development centres (ECDs) in Philippi have been extensively upgraded and mentoring assistance for them arranged – to ensure they meet all the accreditation and registration requirements of the Department of Social Development.
It took three years for the work, hailed as the largest upgrading of ECDs to be completed. Managed by the Injongo Project, which has been working with 47 ECDs in Philippi, with a total spend of R12 million, the Khululeka, Zamukhanyo and Noncedo Educare centres have opened their doors once more.
Project manager Phumeza Mahobe said Injongo had brought development to the community in the form of learning outcomes for children in their first 1 000 days of life. This, she said, is known to be the most critical period in the development of children.
“We are not only upgrading these ECDs physically, but we are also providing mentoring to the teachers. All these are crucial in creating an environment conducive to learning.”
Ethel Bolisi, principal of the Noncedo Educare Centre, said her facility is achieving all its goals for the first time in the 18 years of its existence, thanks to its upgrading.
“We have had three trained teachers here, including me. But now all my teachers have been trained from level one to level five since the beginning of this project three years ago. This was the purpose for establishing this facility.”
Bolisi said proudly that if primary school principals want a 100% pass rate, they should enrol all 132 children who are at Noncedo.
Claremont Rotary Club member Chris du Plessis said they did not hesitate to join forces with Injongo. They believed the project could play a huge role in changing attitudes. “This is a poverty-stricken area where it is easy to lose hope. This project trains teachers to prepare them for classes. By doing that we get buy-in from the staff to get through to children.”
Philippi resident Abongile Nakuphi hailed the project as a beacon of hope towards getting children involved in education from an early age.
“These facilities are new here in the townships. Imagine children being able to read and write before starting school. This would mean a higher passing rate at high schools.”
michael.nkalane@inl.co.za