To empower the Early Childhood Development (ECD) and pre-primary school principals Grassroots Educare Trust from Athlone held a special training session.
Grassroots is a non-profit organisation that works throughout the province to empower ECD practioners
At least 41 ECD practitioners graduated on Thursday 29 May in an event held at the Trust offices in Athlone. The graduates came from various areas which included Lwandle, Gordons Bay, Eersteriver, Zola and Nomzamo.
The facilitator, Thembisa Tshangana, described the 10-week course as part of empowering the principals to formalise their centres.
She said the aim is to assist the ECD practitioners to formulate structures to guide their businesses. “We want to get rid of the old system and put a structure which the school principals can follow. It is like a timetable where teachers will follow a certain routine. We want it to flow so that they can be easy to develop,” she said.
Tshangana stated that the Grassroots has various programmes which are child-centred to assist them to develop holistically.
“Our organisation is all over the province. People who want to be assisted can liaise with our office and we will go and train them.
“We are attending classes twice a week Tuesday and Wednesday for 10 weeks,” she explained, adding that the registration fee varies depending on the area.
One of the graduates, Nomaweza
Mangqwengqwe, who is the principal of Umnqophiso Pre-primary School from Lwandle, said the training had a positive impact on their centres.
“Most of the things that we were doing were practical, which gives us quality education. We were more focused on the activities that align with the development of a child,” she said, adding that some of the activities assist them to be able to read the body language of a child.
