The stage at College of Cape Town’s Crawford Campus was set for the vibrant Quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) Conference: A Call to Action in bringing teachers from across the country together to reconnect to the essence of teaching and learning the future of South Africa – its children.
Presented by the Centre for Early Childhood Development (CECD) in partnership with the South African Research Association for Early Childhood Education (SARAECE) and College of Cape Town, this event marked the 15th annual conference held by CECD, a non-profit organisation committed to positioning young children for a fruitful future.
After starting on Wednesday 27 September and ending Friday 29 September, the event offered 71 engaging talks and addresses covering the themes of Effective ECD programmes; ECD leadership and management; Bridging the divide for quality ECD (policy, research and practice); and ECD causes and calls for action.
Among warm welcomes from distinguished speakers, including a message from the Mayor of the City Geordin Hill-Lewis, the CECD’s staff ensured a colourful ceremony in song and dance, in which precious pre-schoolers entertained the crowd with a singalong.
The keynote address delivered by the highly honoured Prof Nuraan Davids, Professor of Psychology of Education at Stellenbosch University, focussed on Love and Playfulness.
In the opening, Davids gracefully admitted to not being an ECD specialist, “but it’s a fact that early childhood development is the hardest part of a child’s education. People maintain education is about learning and not playing, but often tend to conflate concepts of schooling with education.”
She critiqued a great part of South Africa’s “schooling which is still based on regimented structure, locked in the language of compliance, policies and learning outcomes. As if each child’s learning processes and time are the same.”
Davids further unpacked the importance of play and playfulness in education as a means for children to learn as they grow.
“Children have a clear sense of what play is, to be free with a sense of purity. Adults should observe this play and co-create learning opportunities with the child taking the lead.”
She dived into the sense of purity in child’s play, untainted, to find laughter and joy in that “we need to ensure it stays that way. Teaching is a deeply emotive process. In Greek philosophy, it unpacks three types of love. Love as philia is based on friendship which is a pure and holistic form of love that lends itself to the following question: Do you see children for who they are, or who you want them to be?”
In terms of a disciplined approach, Davids believes the most important job of a teacher is to listen with care, love and attention. “Ask the ‘why question’ when kids are caught doing something wrong instead of scolding and plainly putting them in the naughty corner. It’s important for a child to be guided on how to re-write or define their own story and being taught with a hope for a better future. No child learns from you if they fear you.”
In a written reply to the People’s Post, Najwah Mukadam from CECD said the conference was a “resounding success”.
“The research plenary explored drivers of early learning, while our panel discussions stressed that collaboration between and within sectors is essential. Over three days, the event connected passionate stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including ECD principals, NPOs, academics, activists, and government officials. And the concluding Call to Action was for us to collectively act for the well-being of South Africa’s children.”
