The ||Kharas Education Director, Nicolaas Eiman, has described the draft National Integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy as aiming to increase accessibility for children, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, to ECD centres.
Eiman said this on the sidelines of a regional policy consultation meeting held in Keetmanshoop.
The policy guarantees all children, particularly the most vulnerable, access to high-quality early childhood services, such as education, care, health, and nutrition.
It also aims to coordinate the government's and partners' efforts, strengthen educators and provide the standards and resources required for holistic child development.
"I am definitely in support of the policy, and the sooner we can finalise it, the better it will reach the communities. I hope the team that travels nationally is receiving valuable input from all communities and is more community-focused, allowing these communities to have a greater voice in addressing issues at the grassroots level."
Experts, like Jessica Brown, believe the policy will strengthen and boost the country's education system.
"The policy is about giving more importance to early development in a child's life; 95% of the child's brain develops before they reach the age of five, so it's a good opportunity to put more focus on early childhood development and to make a strong link from pre-primary to formal education. It's a good opportunity for Namibia, and it's a good chance to strengthen the education system for the children."
The consultation provided a platform that deliberated on the value of foundational learning, which refers to the essential skills and knowledge that children need in their early years, and how the ministry will gradually take over the Early Childhood Development centres (ECDs) from next year.
Senior Education Officer for the Junior Primary Phase, Franzina Vries, explained that "It's not just a now thing, but it's a gradual process. It's a process to take over as the ministry, and where we need to support the educational fraternity of the ECD, the importance of the foundational learning, and the cohesion between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Gender aligned to the curriculum so the learning process flows on the holistic development."