... the department must urgently recommend that struggling provincial education departments learn from the WCED ... [Interjections.] ... when it comes to ECD. [Interjections.] The WCED has already achieved its ECD universal access targets, and to some degree exceeded those targets. [Interjections.]
Our concern, which coincides with that of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, stems from a lack of competent ECD teaching staff, as well as a lack of quality learning materials and other relevant resources that must be provided for Grade R learning and teaching. [Interjections.] The Department of Basic Education has identified that this is a major obstacle to their delivering on ECD. However, the plans do not adequately address this problem. As my colleague indicated, the plans are incremental in nature. Let me explain.
Thousands of learners with disabilities of school-going age are not in schools - thousands of them! Why? It is because ... [Interjections.] ... the Department of Basic Education has an incremental approach towards implementing White Paper 6 of 2000 on inclusive education. [Time expired.] [Applause.]