Improving access to early childhood education, learning digital skills and participation in sports are key focus areas for Gauteng schools in the year ahead.
Presenting his 2024/2025 budget vote in the legislature on Wednesday, education MEC Matome Chiloane said: “We need to ensure education contributes to the reduction of inequalities in our population.”
The department’s pro-poor interventions, which include access to free education, nutrition and scholar transport, particularly in townships, informal settlements and hostels, help lessen the effect of poverty on children’s ability to learn and will remain a priority.
“We need to ensure there are programmes to compensate for the ravages of poverty and poor family literacy,” he said.
The department will continue the expansion of grade R to all state schools and intends to assist the early childhood development (ECD) sector by enhancing and increasing teacher training programmes, providing subsidies and establishing more ECD centres.
So far ECD centres have been set up to serve the hostel communities in Denver, Mzimhlophe, Sebokeng, Boipatong and KwaThema, with the MEC saying this intervention will eventually be expanded to all 15 hostels in the province.
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