Outreach project benefits informal day care

A community outreach project initiated by the Faculty of Education at the NWU Mafikeng Campus is set to benefit informal day care centres in and around Mafikeng. Dr Myrtle Erasmus, who is the project leader, implemented the project with the support of the Dean of the Faculty of Education and Training, Prof Dawid Gericke.

The need for such a project was discussed after she realised that young children who attended the day care centres are not exposed to appropriate learning programmes as the practitioners or caretakers are, in most cases, not qualified. The result is that children do not receive proper stimulation in areas such as movement development, perceptual skills and broad language exposure. Children from deprived circumstances are not school-ready when they start grade one. This will affect their performance, which has an effect on their overall development later in their school career.

The objective of the project is to give training to the caretakers, guiding them in management and the day programme that is supposed to be followed at day care centres. The children are then exposed to a specific form of informal educational programme which will help them to a large extent when attending grade one. The project currently can only attend to 10 such schools although, according to Dr Erasmus, the need is much higher with about 40 schools/centres that attend the training sessions offered by Dr Erasmus and Dr Wessels, lecturers in Foundation Phase.

The schools are also visited on a regular basis by Mrs Emily Tlole-Magalane, who is the project co-ordinator. During these visits she monitors progress and renders support and guidance on different learning outcomes.

On 18 August, the executive management of the campus, led by the Campus Rector, visited some of the schools. Everyone agreed that there is much to be done to get up to standard and to give our children a chance in life.