Picture: The Chairperson of the Select Committee, Makhi Feni
By OBAKENG MAJE
21 December 2025- The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries has called on the Department of Basic Education to ensure that the continued integration of Grade R into the schooling system does not disrupt learning. The committee said the Department of Basic Education now requires all Grade R teachers to hold a diploma or degree qualification under the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act that was signed last year into law.
The Chairperson of the Select Committee, Makhi Feni said the reported qualifications requirement from people who had been with the ECD for over 30 years has a potential to disrupt not only learning, but labour peace. Feni said that would be an antithesis of the intentions of migrating the ECD functions into the department.
“It would be ideal to first ensure success in implementing the migration and the needs of our children within a school set up. Qualifications are a good thing to have, but we cannot in a space of a year be making such statements that threaten to collapse an entire sector. Government leaders must be responsible in how they implement policies.
“In line with the BELA Act, ECD educators are reportedly required to have at least a diploma from 2026, something which some educators especially the experienced ones had not been adequately prepared for. The committee in its recent oversight visit to the Amathole West District and Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape found many infrastructure challenges related to the ECD function, including schools like Bodiam Primary School where our children are accommodated in zinc structure,” he said.
Feni further said the schools hardly have kitchens to prepare good nutritious foods for these kids, and most lack friendly sanitation and facilities for kids. He added that this demand for qualifications will disrupt education and there has to be a rethink and a halt.
“We proposed timeframes that will allow educators to acquire the qualifications. The committee will attend to this matter when it returns from the December recess,” said Feni.
The Guardian 