Welcome to the first Policy Post of 2016! 2015 ended on a high note for ECD, with the approval by Cabinet of a national ECD policy. What worries us is that a number of less positive developments in the country at the end of last year raise the risk of overshadowing ECD.
As a sector, we need to raise our collective voice to ensure that ECD is prioritised and receives the necessary political, resourcing and programmatic attention to realise the country’s shared vision of universal access to quality ECD from birth – especially for the most marginalised.
So, without further delay, here are the most important advocacy opportunities for the coming months.
The Opening of Parliament and State of the Nation Address
Parliament will formally open on 11 February 2016 with the delivery of the President Zuma’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces. The SONA reviews the highs and lows of the last year and sets out key policy objectives and deliverables which will form the basis for executive action for the coming year. A few days after the address, the SONA is debated in the National Assembly (on the 16th and 17th of February), with the President afforded an opportunity to reply to debate issues and questions on the 18th of February. The debate is led by Members of Parliament who are given an opportunity to comment and raise question on matters addressed in the SONA.
Given the approval of the ECD policy at the end of 2015, it should be prominent in the SONA and at the forefront of the policy agenda for 2016. However, as mentioned previously, it may be overshadowed by matters that have been highly visible and hotly debated in the past month or two, including the weak rand, the change in leadership of the national Treasury, and the #feesmustfall campaign.
The children’s sector should expect some clarity, in the SONA, on the adoption of the ECD policy and a clear directive to the Executive on the need to prioritise its resourcing and implementation. Should these expectations not be met, the sector should make as much use of the SONA debating space, by sharing their concerns and questions for the President with opposition party MPs, especially those in the relevant portfolio committees, with the request that they raise them on the 16th and 17th of February.
The national Budget Speech
Shortly after the opening of Parliament, the Minister of Finance will present the national budget for 2016/17 to the National Assembly at 2pm on the 24th of February. This will be followed by a
debate in the National Assembly on the Fiscal Framework on 9 March 2016.
The budget documents, including Estimates of National Expenditure and the Budget Review and Budget Speech may be purchased at a cost of around R 100 each. Orders may be placed in advance with Beatrix Geldenhuys (Cell: 082 806 8272) and collected from the State Printers from 2pm on the 24th of February.
As in the case of the SONA, we would expect to see a clear commitment to, and a sizeable investment in making the ECD policy a reality, especially for the most marginalised young children in the country. Ilifa Labantwana will be reviewing the budget documents and sharing its insights and concerns with its readers as well as national Treasury and MPs with the objective of stimulating debate on the issue in the post-budget speech period.
National Assembly review of all laws passed since 1994
The Speaker of the National Assembly has announced the establishment of an “Independent Advisory Panel on the ‘Acceleration of Change and Transformation’” in South Africa. The Panel, which will be chaired by the former President Kgalema Motlanthe, will assess the impact of all laws passed since 1994 on either impeding or promoting, amongst other issues, the reduction of poverty, unemployment and inequality; improvements in the quality of life; enjoyment of our constitutionally-protected social and economic rights; and nation building and cohesion.
The objective of the review will be to identify legislative weaknesses and make recommendations for amendments and innovations to fill identified gaps.
The Panel will conduct its work through public outreach and other research processes such as public submissions, provincial outreach and public hearings.
Given the centrality of ECD to the country’s developmental and equity-focused imperatives, the ECD sector should engage actively and robustly in this review.
We will share information about the process and associated opportunities.
Local elections
Local elections will be held this year which will shape the face of local government leadership. Given the active and positive role that local government plays in making ECD services available at a local level, and given the fact that for many local governments this mandate remains under-developed, the elections present a unique opportunity to drive ECD access for the most marginalised children.
No date has yet been set for the elections. However they must take place between 18 May and 16 August 2016. The actual date will be announced by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
As in the case of the other opportunities discussed, we will keep an eye on and report on developments as and when they emerge.
The Policy Post is written by Patricia Martin, the director of Advocacy Aid, a consultancy that provides advocacy support to the development sector. Patricia has worked as a child rights advocate and policy analyst for more than a decade and has a special interest in ECD policy and programme development and monitoring.
