1. The White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Development (ECD) prescribes that 85% of all Grade R learners in a province must be accommodated at a public school by 2010.
2. To achieve this goal and to increase the number of Gr R learners at public schools, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) plans to assist schools with a Gr R classroom if they do not have classroom space available to accommodate Gr R learners.
3. In terms of the Norms and Standards [N&S] for Gr R, the WCED may only provide such Gr R classrooms to schools that qualify according to specified N&S criteria. These criteria are the following:
  • The school must be in quintile 1-3.*
  • The school must offer Gr 1.
  • The school management and the SGB must be able to accommodate and effectively and efficiently manage Gr R.
  • The school must have 30 or more new Gr R learners [applications for Gr R].
  • The school must have physical space [±150m²] to place a Gr R classroom.
  • The learner per classroom ratio in Grades 1-3 must average 25 learners per classroom.

*NB: The provision of Gr R classrooms will roll out per district and will start with quintile 1 schools and move on to quintile 2 schools once all qualifying quintile 1 schools have received a classroom.
4. In the financial year 2008/09, the WCED will consider all schools that have requested a Gr R classroom and provide schools that qualify with a Gr R classroom for learners entering the system. Please also note DIM/0003/2008 on the Provision of Gr R classrooms to public schools, which is still applicable.
5. The Directorate: IMGP has appointed a Project Manager - Infrastructure, Mr CFH Coetzee, to manage all aspects of the delivery of the Gr R classrooms.
6. The Directorate: IMGP has also appointed an audit assessor, Mrs M Conradie, who will visit schools and districts to gather information to verify the eligibility of schools to receive a Gr R Classroom in terms of the national N&S criteria. The audit assessor will not be able to make appointments with schools for visits and schools are requested to please co-operate with the audit assessor.
7. Schools that qualify to receive a Gr R classroom will be contacted in writing by the Directorate: IMGP's sub-directorate ECD. Schools should please not contact the education district office or the Directorate: IMGP directly to enquire about receiving a Gr R classroom.
8. Your assistance and co-operation with the audit assessor in completing this important task efficiently and effectively will be appreciated.


SIGNED: MI MAAS-OLSEN
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2008:08:22