CSTL in South Africa - looking at Phase One

Posted by Janice Scheckter on 23 May 2021, 20:00 SAST

The Care and Support for Teaching Learning (CSTL) Programme is a Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiative that was adopted by Education Ministers in 2008. The goal of the CSTL Programme is to realise the educational rights of all children, including those who are most vulnerable, through schools becoming inclusive centres of learning, care and support.

The CSTL Programme intends to prevent and mitigate factors that have a negative impact on the enrolment, retention, performance and progression of vulnerable learners in schools by addressing barriers to learning and teaching. South Africa is one of six countries (others are Swaziland, Zambia, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique) implemented Phase 1 of the Programme between 2008 - 2015.

In order to realize its goal, nine priority areas have been identified to address barriers to teaching and learning. These priority areas have been identified based on the policy and legislative mandate that the Department has to fulfil on care and support, as well as the most pressing needs in school communities.

The priority areas are as follows:

• co-curricular support
• curriculum support
• material support
• psychosocial support
• social welfare services
• safety and protection
• infrastructure water and sanitation
• health promotion
• nutritional support