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Estimates of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (EPRE) %u2013 2025/26 Financial Year3 Outlook for the coming financial year(2025/26) Education is committed to providing quality education to all learners and every decision taken in relation to education will continue to be informed by the need to improve learner educational outcomes. The department is dedicated to exerting significant efforts to implement the key sectorial priorities, which entails the followings amongst other: Early Childhood Development%u2019s efforts continue to prioritise access to quality ECD services and Grade R education by ensuring that all learners entering the schooling system receive a compulsory formal Grade R education so that universal academic outcomes improvement can be seen across the foundation phase. In respect to Practitioner Training, and as part of ongoing capacity development, the registration process for a new intake of three-hundred and sixty (360) ECD practitioners for the 2025/26 financial year is currently in progress, with studies scheduled to commence in March 2025. The Education, Training and Development Practices - Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP-SETA), in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Education Department, has further recruited and registered hundred (100) practitioners to undergo NQF Level 4 training, whilst at the NQF Level 5, a total of One thousand-two hundred (1 200) ECD practitioners have been recruited and registered for the 2025/26 financial year. This qualification will further enhance practitioners' competencies and professional development in the education sector.To further strengthen the teaching workforce in the Foundation Phase, one hundred and twenty (120) Grade R teachers were recruited in 2024 and have been registered for the B. Ed in Foundation Phase (Rhodes University) for the 2025/26 intake. Moreover, efforts are made to ensure that more learners can read with meaning by the end of the foundation stage and enable the unlocking of the potential of all learners by enhancing their language competency. Educator Provisioning and Supply The department in consultation with the relevant stakeholders converged in determining and assessing the Post Provisioning Norm (PPN) needs and affordability levels of formulating the post basket for the new academic year. A total of 52 817 declared educator headcount is maintained. The PPN costing prioritised the protection of existing warm bodies in the system, and a portion curbed for unforeseen circumstances. Of the total declared headcount posts, 52 273 will be distributed across twelve education districts based on learner enrolment, whilst 544 posts are top sliced to cater for learner growth, substitutes etc. The current educator post provisioning will be maintained and implemented at same levels for the next three years, starting from 2025 %u2013 2027, as part of a multi-year agreement, to ensure stability in learning and teaching environment, whilst also allowing the department an ample of time to address other human resource inefficiencies identified. Training and development of educators The development and training of educators will be prioritised with focus on enhancing teacher training and professional development programs that emphasize inclusive practices. This will be done through equipping educators with the necessary skills and knowledge that they are prepared to create learning environments that cater for diverse learning needs. Whilst better part of training investment is concentrated on the capacitation of teachers in the foundation phase in numeracy content and methodology, reading etc, it also offers training on developed curricula, teaching methodologies, evaluation strategies, and educational technology as part of its in-service teacher development framework. 335