Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa graduated from UWC on 20 September 2024 with a Doctor of Philosophy in Adult Education. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

The voice of Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers in South Africa was heard loud and clear on the world stage when University of the Western Cape lecturer Dr Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa presented her research at a recent G20 meeting.

The meeting took place in Cape Town on 18 August, where Dr Aploon-Zokufa was invited to present to over 300 delegates from G20 member countries.
Born and raised in Mitchells Plain, her journey in higher education was far from straightforward. She initially studied chemistry at Stellenbosch University before discovering her academic passion in ECD research.

"I worked at Boland College and Northlink College for about six years. During that time, I was appointed as a Communications lecturer for Early Childhood Development levels 1, 4, and 5 classes.

These were adult education programmes for people who hadn't completed schooling but were now working in ECD and needed to learn the practice of ECD as teachers. I taught Entrepreneurship, Communications, and a little bit of Mathematics, and I completely loved it."

Dr Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa is a lecturer at the UWC Education Faculty and presented her ECD research at a G20 meeting in Cape Town. Image: Supplied

This experience fostered a heartfelt connection with ECD teachers, and Dr Aploon-Zokufa continued helping many to enrol at university through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applications. In her PhD study, she gathered extensive qualitative and quantitative data to explore the trajectories and aspirations of mature adult black women who had completed ECD training at TVET colleges.

Following her PhD graduation, Dr Aploon-Zokufa developed this work into a research project and presented at an ECD symposium hosted by UWC. She said: “After my PhD, I've started a research project where I'm looking at teaching and learning in ECD centres. So the first finding was that there are large numbers of ECD practitioners who are trying to get into higher education to do the Bachelor of Education, but universities are not meeting them where they are. They've got these qualifications from TVET colleges, but those qualifications don't articulate into higher education. So that is the problem.” 

There, the Director of ECD in the Western Cape Education Department encountered her work and subsequently invited her to present at the G20 meeting.

The critical questions Dr Aploon-Zokufa posed in her presentation captured significant attention. She explained that while many educators are not formally trained, teaching and learning are still happening in ECD centres. The next step of her investigation is to explore, among other things,  what these children are learning,  how ECD practitioners navigate a curriculum, and what they do about lesson planning if that isn't something they studied. 

Beyond curriculum challenges, Dr Aploon-Zokufa identified pressing economic issues within the ECD sector that require urgent attention. "The ultimate goal I have is to ensure that ECD practitioners earn a decent salary. Those practitioners earn R1,000 to R2,000 a month, and they're in the classroom from 6 am to 6 pm. They can't make a living. To achieve a decent salary, we need to address qualifications first. Once we can get them appropriately qualified through the WCED, then perhaps we can argue that now these women are participating and receiving teaching certificates, let's examine how we reward them," she said.

This work has gained particular relevance since South Africa's ECD sector officially transferred from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education on 1 April 2022. According to Dr Aploon-Zokufa, much more needs to be done to ensure that this foundational phase of schooling becomes properly formalised and operates effectively to transform the lives of both the children it serves and the practitioners at the forefront of teaching and learning in this vital sector.