Contesting schoolification through snapshots of pedagogy-in-participation in early childhood development centres in South Africa

Abstract

This article attempts to contest schoolification using snapshots of pedagogy-in-participation in ECD centres in South Africa. Educational research confirms that early childhood education can positively influence the lives, well-being, safety, growth, development and academic performance of young children in the birth to 4 years age group. In South Africa (SA), Early Childhood Development (ECD) has been recognised and identified as a critical nodal point for the country’s social and economic transformation and development. However, “schoolification” has become an epidemic that has promoted standardisation of education, reduces teacher autonomy and envisions ECD centres as preparation for school rather than preparation for life. The study investigated the perceptions of practitioners and centre managers of 5 well-resourced and 5 under-resourced centres in 5 of the 9 provinces in SA. This article forms part of a larger funded project on Transformation Pedagogy. The most illustrative examples from the data collected were used to elicit alternative quality practices for pedagogy in participation. The findings encourage practitioners and policy makers to reconceptualise ECD as a co-constructive process. The article offers recommendations for teacher preparedness and child-centredness by provoking a reconceptualisation that involves making schools children-ready rather than making children school-ready