The Imam Abdullah Haron Education Trust (IAHET) provides financial support for early childhood development programmes, mathematics and science tuition, and a bursary programme for tertiary education.
The organisation provides funding to marginalised learners, irrespective of race or religion.
The early childhood development (ECD) programme provides children with quality, stimulating care and balanced nutrition, and facilitates the development of cognitive, emotional and social skills.
Only 20% of children aged 0–6 years benefit from a structured early learning programme in a positive environment prior to entering Grade 1. (Gov statistics) This ECD programme helps to increase access to early learning at a critical stage of children’s lives.
An out-of-centre programme helps women set up playgroups in their homes and provides training, mentoring, support, materials, equipment, food and other necessities to facilitate development of children. The programme focuses on the development of literacy, numeracy abilities and also life skills.
This programme is run in underdeveloped areas such as Langa, Valhalla Park, Netreg, Bonteheuwel, Delft and Gugulethu in partnership with the Centre for Early Childhood Development, Grassroots Educare Trust and the Foundation for Community Work in their respective areas of impact. These organisations are all leaders in the field of ECD in Cape Town.
Eighty per cent of all funds raised by IAHET go towards ECD programmes.
“It is most rewarding to see children being confident when they register at schools as they starting their schooling journey, knowing this programme has made a significant difference in their lives.
“A child who attends a good-quality early childhood learning programme enters formal schooling:
“To combat the poor showing year after year in our matric results, government needs to invest more heavily in the early years of education. Expanding and improving the quality of ECD programmes for young children is a proven programme and sustainable solution.”
Prof Eric Atmore, Director CECD
The Imam Abdullah Haron Memorial Lecture is held annually on the anniversary of the Imam’s premature death on 27 September 1969, to commemorate the contribution that he made to social justice and education during the years of apartheid.
Over the past few years the annual Memorial Lecture has secured high-profile speakers such as:
Click on the relevant link above to view and/or download.
By Riedewhaan Allie
Director, Foundation for Community Work
Locally and internationally the value of good preschool education is recognised. In 2007 an expert panel of economists ranked ECD as the first of 40 potential solutions to development problems in Latin America (Budlender, 2015). It is for this reason that the ECD sector in South Africa use the economic argument supported by the World Bank and leading economists, to bolster the call for more direct investment in ECD. Research shows that investment in early childhood have a future return of between 7 – 18 percent, and that young children who are exposed to quality ECD programmes are more likely to complete schooling, and become gainfully employed in their adult years. If the South African government were to match ECD spending compared to higher education, the future savings on social security, remedial and rehabilitation services could be significant. Read more here…
