SITE VISIT - Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and ...

Conclusions
Education and the media are two areas where change is occurring quickly and the stage is being
set for all South Africans to soon have a higher literacy level and have the ability to use the
media and distance education for educational and cultural purposes. In the meantime, however,
much work is to be done. Over the past year, the opportunities and responsibilities which face
South Africans have changed dramatically. The systems of media and education which were in
control for generations are suddenly in a state of flux and under enormous pressure to
decentralize and bring in black and colored South African expertise and priorities. In response,
the Government and the RDP and the private sector are struggling to achieve a new course of
action which will fulfill South Africa’s dream of having a fair and unbiased society while
maintaining the budgetary means to be Athe gateway to Africa. It is a tricky business to be fair
and be a leader at the same time. To summarize some of the major points of this document,
14. Radio use is high in South Africa, particularly with black populations in rural
areas. According to the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), black households are
tuned into radio for an average of nine hours per day; the television is on for five hours per
day. But according to the HSRC report, the overall use of the two media does not involve
children in any significant way. In some areas of South Africa, radio is the only form of
communication with other communities beyond a few miles that a family may have. In some
rural areas, educare (early child development) training organizations often use the community
radio networks to announce meetings, health interventions and other important events and
report they are the only reliable source of immediate communication available.
15. South African has large percentage of very young. South Africa has a very young
population by world standards. Of the total population, 13% is under the age of four and 18%
is under the age of seven. In some areas, including most of Bophutatswana and the Transkei
and parts of Elbow, Gazankulu, KaNgwane and KwaZulu, more than 20% of the population
is under the age of four .
16. Native tongue is a central issue. Many adult South Africans do not speak English or
Afrikaans and have not had adequate exposure to a quality education and the ability to use the
media and distance education. Under white control, two languages (English and Afrikaans)
were the only offiical languages. Now there are eleven.
17. Primary school advancement improved by ECD efforts. Evidence suggests that
investment during the preschool years improves primary school advancement as well as lays
down the foundation for skills in conflict resolution and problem solving. In the mid-1980s
the Department of Education and Training developed a bridging program as part of the first
year of school which was government-funded and which effectively provided a year and in
some cases two years of pre-primary education for children who need it. By 1992 the
program involved some 400,000 pupils in 1,230 schools. The failure rate in the first year of
primary school for these children was reduced from 21% to 3%.
18. Some provinces worse off than others. While the whole of South Africa would benefit
from improved circumstances, the provinces with the worse overall profiles in terms of
quality of life and social development indicators including poverty levels, water supply and
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