Sasol In Society Report - Book - Page 43
a
Early Childhood
Development and
Education
Recent neuroscience research by
UNESCO shows compelling evidence
that early experiences affect the
development of brain architecture,
which in turn, affects all future learning.
While our ECD programmes are holistic in
their approach, they emphasise equipping
learners with numeracy, literacy and social
skills in order to provide learners with a solid
foundation for future STEM education. During
the past year, we focused on the assessment
of our interventions. We conducted a baseline
assessment of all the ECD Centres that we have
supported since 2019 and concurrently analysed
a sample of the best-in-class ECD models.
The purpose of the assessment was to establish
the overall impact our education programmes,
while evaluating the overall management of the
Centres, quality of learning, health and safety.
The baseline assessment revealed that while the
management of Centres has improved and most
Centres meet the basic requirements to operate
as ECDs, the quality of learning remains low. The
model analysis helped us understand the critical
elements that contribute to the overall quality
of our ECD programmes and the associated
costs. This research, combined with model
analysis, will inform our future interventions
and assist us in developing an affordable and
scalable best-in-class model. Our envisaged
future interventions will endeavour to equip
both the practitioners and children with science
and technology skills to enable them to thrive in
a digital world of innovation.
Stepping in at this crucial time of a child’s
formative years gives us an opportunity to
provide them with the foundational architecture
to fortify their progress throughout the entire
education value chain.
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