Practitioners making progress on ECD qualification
Thu, 18 March 2010
“I have learnt a lot. I am implementing what I learn at training. The resources we get help us to make the programme more interesting. I have changed what I think about children. I do not shout at them anymore, nor do I punish them because I understand what they are doing is part of learning.” Nokuthula Ndlovu.
REPORT 2: The Little Elephant Training Centre for Early Education (LETCEE) - Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioner training (http://www.sasix.co.za/projects/view/ECD-KZN-FEB-0001/)
This project is training 12 preschool teachers towards a recognised professional qualification. Through project the beneficiaries will earn a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 4 professional qualification in Early Childhood Development (ECD). Their improved skills will enhance the quality of education for children in the remote communities where they live. Each trainee will benefit from follow-up support visits to their ECD Centre to ensure that the learning is being properly applied.
The project started in April 2009 and will be completed in March 2010.
Outputs
The 12 selected ECD practitioners have been receiving training and are progressing well. The practitioners have now completed six of the eight modules of the course, and 10 of the beneficiaries are actively sharing their new skills and learning with colleagues. All of the trainees report that they are more confident in the classroom and that their teaching has improved. This, they say, is partly due to the training materials and guides they received as part of the training, but mostly because their improved skills and a better understanding of the children’s needs and stages of development. The 12 practitioners are currently teaching a total of 326 children. Two cycles of support visits were implemented in October 2009 and February 2010. There are two modules still to be completed along with an additional cycle of support visits and a final assessment within the next reporting period.
Expenditure
The cost of the project is R132, 600 and has been fully paid.
| Description | Total Budget | Total Expenses to Date |
| Training, Assessment | 33 600 | 42 000 |
| Accommodation & Meals | 60 000 | 48 000 |
| Training Materials | 21 000 | 16 200 |
| Support Visits | 18 000 | 12 000 |
| TOTAL | 132 600 | 118 200 |
The shortfall in spending is earmarked for the two remaining modules, support visits and final assessment still to be completed.
Challenges
The delays referred to in the previous report have been the source of some frustration to the beneficiaries. However, the reasons for this have been made clear to them, and rescheduling has been done in consultation with the beneficiaries. Support visits have also had to be rescheduled due to changes in the school calendar in the new academic year.
Monitoring and evaluation
LETCEE has a continuous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) protocol which includes registers, reports, discussions and questionnaires to community caregivers and parents in the communities where the 12 trainees operate. Information is currently being captured into the M&E system, and the results of this M&E will be available in the next progress report.
Trainees complete tasks, which are assessed on an ongoing basis. These will eventually be part of a course portfolio, which will be assessed to determine their competence and the awarding of the NQF Level 4 qualification at the end of the year.
In addition, trainees have completed workshop evaluation forms on the six modules conducted, which indicate that all participants are broadly satisfied with the course thus far, and that they value the training they have received highly.
Conclusions
Although delays with the start of the project have resulted in changes to the project schedule, the project is progressing smoothly. The practitioners are able to share their knowledge with others and seem to have improved confidence in their own capacity. As these better-resourced, better-trained, more confident practitioners move back into the classroom, the broader impact of this project will be evident.
