Prof Eric Atmore to deliver the 12th annual Imam Haron Memorial Lecture

Renowned Early Childhood Development specialist Professor Eric Atmore will deliver the 12th annual Imam Haron Memorial Lecture at the Islamia Auditorium, Islamia College, Imam Haron Rd, Lansdowne at 19h15 on Wednesday, 25 September 2019.

His lecture will be titled, “Early childhood development as a strategy to meet the needs of young children in South Africa.”

Prof Atmore described the invitation for him to deliver this year’s lecture as “a great honour.”

“This eminent lecture keeps alive the memory of the late Imam Abdullah Haron, who died in police custody on 27 September 1969. If all South Africans live the legacy of the late Imam, his values and action on overcoming prejudice, discrimination, poverty and inequality, surely our country will thrive,” he said.

Prof Atmore who has been involved in the field of Early Childhood Development (ECD) since 1979, obtained his PhD from the University of Cape Town earlier this year with a ground-breaking analysis of South Africa’s ECD policy.

“I did this research because I was significantly active in ECD policy-making from 1990 to 2012 and there was a story to be told of how the sector evolved in post-apartheid South Africa.”

According to Prof Atmore, his research has shown that since 1994 there has been a significant lack of political will by government to support ECD in this country.

The IAHET has, since its inception in 2005, raised and spent nearly R4 million on ECD programmes, which is the main focus of its activities.

Prof Atmore follows a series of high profile personalities who have delivered the Imam Haron Memorial Lecture in previous years including the late Prof Neville Alexander, Minister Ebrahim Patel, Justice Albie Sachs, Prof Jonathan Jansen, Minister Naledi Pandor, former cabinet minister Trevor Manuel, Wits University Vice Chancellor Professor Adam Habib,  retired constitutional court judge Zak Yacoob, student activist Fasiha Hassen and Prof Muhammed Haron, who delivered last year’s lecture.

The Imam Haron Memorial Lecture is organised by the IAHET in honour of the late Imam Abdullah Haron, former Imam of Stegman Rd Mosque Claremont, who died fifty years ago in police detention on 27 September 1969.

The winners of the Imam Haron Foundation/SA Foundation for Islamic Art international art competition will be announced after the lecture.