media releases - Unisa Centre for Early Childhood Education

Perhaps the age-old Chinese adage about the flexibility of the bamboo sums it up accurately. According to this adage, the best time to bend a bamboo is when it is small, for if you try to bend it when it has already grown; it is more likely to break…

This was said by Professor Kuzvinetsa Dzvimbo, the Executive Dean of the College of Education at Unisa during his visit to the Unisa Centre for Early Childhood Education (UCECE) on Friday, 3 February 2012. Professor Dzvimbo was drawing parallels between the Chinese adage and the work done by UCECE in trying to shape the education and career aspirations of the young children at the centre.

UCECE, located on the Unisa Sunnyside campus, falls under the new College of Education (CEDU) and is a centre of excellence that strives to provide the best pre-school education in a stimulating and conducive environment. It is also a research site for improving early childhood education in South Africa and on the continent.

It accommodates about 129 children between the ages of three months to six years, with large play areas and adequate equipment provided for the older children (4-6 years) in a homely set-up. The younger ones, ranging between 18 months and three years, are provided sufficient space to play and enjoy the care and safety of the center. The babies, on the other hand, are kept in a quiet place under the constant watchful eyes of the care-givers.
The approach to teaching at the centre is one that encourages participation by the children. This much was evident in one class where Professor Dzvimbo interacted with the children, where they had been tasked with colouring a drawing of an astronaut.

‘Their understanding of what an astronaut is and their grasp of the vocabulary related to outer space is amazing. This goes a long way to show what we can achieve with the education of our children if we start early and we do it the way this centre is doing it”, said Professor Dzvimbo