Mandela Day: Minister hits the streets of Msholozi in Mpumalanga
In celebration of Mandela Day, Minister of Basic Education, Ms. Siviwe Gwarube attended the Bana Pele ECD Registration Clinic at Early Bird Day Care Centre in Msholozi, Mpumalanga. She addressed parents, practitioners and community members about the importance of early learning and children attending registered ECD centres.Â
Minister spoke to practitioners who were in the process of registering at the clinic with the support of NGOs, Penreach, Cotlands and Ntataise. She had a discussion with national, provincial and district officials about how the eCares online registration system works and the process involved in checking ECD staff against the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) to ensure our children are in safe spaces.
The DBE has partnered with Sesame Workshop – the home of Takalani Sesame – on the Bana Pele ECD campaign to raise community awareness around early learning and the registration drive. Sesame set up play stalls for the children attending the centre. Minister played legos with the children and took an interview with famous muppets, Zikwe and Elmo about the day’s events and how to share the message about working together as government, private sector and local communities to put our children first by prioritising quality early learning and improving universal access to ECD.        Â
This is just the first event of many as the Minister takes on a bold 6-month national campaign, in partnership with Sesame Workshop, to bring ECD into the heart of all communities and continue our work towards ensuring our youngest and brightest, the future leaders of South Africa, thrive.
