North West Grade R practitioners demand overdue 2025 payments and review of new enrolment threshold

Grade R practitioners and early childhood development (ECD) providers in North West have formally demanded that the provincial education department pay outstanding 2025 funding and either scrap or review a recent increase in the minimum enrolment threshold, according to The Citizen.

Who is asking and what they want

The practitioners delivered a memorandum setting out two central demands: immediate payment to those who provided Grade R services in 2025 but were not funded, and a review of the department’s decision to raise the minimum enrolment threshold from 15 to 25 pupils, the memorandum says.

Practitioners argue that those who were funded on the basis of the 15-pupil threshold in 2023 and 2024 should not have their 2025 services retrospectively excluded after the threshold was increased.

“We also want the department to urgently review the new threshold as it was introduced without consultation and has serious consequences for children in smaller and rural communities,”

the memorandum to education MEC Viola Motsumi says.

Concerns for smaller and rural communities

The memorandum warns that the higher threshold could discourage provision of Grade R in smaller communities, reduce available places and force children to travel further to access education. Many long-serving practitioners continue to operate in communities with fewer than 25 Grade R pupils but have been excluded from funding despite continuing to provide Grade R services, the document says.

Funding delays and operational strain

According to The Citizen, the latest demands follow earlier reporting on the financial strain facing ECD centres and Grade R practitioners. In December, practitioners reported that funding delays had left Grade R teachers unpaid, with some ECD principals stepping into classrooms themselves to keep programmes operating. The Citizen also reported in May that the North West ECD funding crisis was continuing despite national allocations for early childhood development.

Calls for predictable payments and honoured agreements

The memorandum asks that all approved Grade R and ECD funding be paid according to valid service level agreements and approved payment schedules. Practitioners want payments made at the beginning of each funding period, saying delays leave them unable to pay staff, buy learning materials and provide food. They also demand that the department honour every valid service level agreement, subject to practitioners meeting the terms of those agreements.

Response from the department

According to The Citizen, the North West department of education had not responded to the latest memorandum by the time of publication.