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Education Minister Julie Bishop has proposed a new, nationwide plan for preschool education in Australia.
This development comes after Liberal MP, Jackie Kelly, declared that child care in Australia was a 'shambles' and in need of an overhaul, and the Federal Government announced a $850 million overhaul of the child-support system.
Complusory preschool education
Julie Bishop has proposed that all children in Australia should attend a compulsory preschool year. The intention is that a common program across all states and territories will ensure that early education is provided by qualified staff in an accredited environment.
Former Australian of the Year Fiona Stanley said that this was the most 'important investment' the Government could make. 'I think we need a national, consistent approach. It's clearly an area for further reform.'
Jonathon Kruger, executive director of Childcare Associations Australia, also responded positively to the proposal but added that there were practical issues that needed to be addressed.
'The infrastructure is there to run programs in childcare centres and many childcare centres around the country are already running quality kindergarten programs for this age group,' he said.
'If the proposal is that early childhood teachers deliver preschool programs in long daycare centres then there are currently not enough teachers in the centre to do it,' he said.
'If childcare centres are required to employ more highly qualified staff ... it will cost more to run centres and this cost has to be passed on to families.'
(Source: Preschool plan for all 4-year-olds)
The politicians' views
Julie Bishop and Shadow Education Minister, Tanya Plibersek, were interviewed on ABC Radio's PM program.
A transcript of the program is avilable online.
Excerpts from the program are below:
JULIE BISHOP: What I'm seeking to do is to establish a nationally consistent approach for a structured early childhood education program.
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The opportunities across Australia differ from state to state. So, I believe that all children so have the opportunity first to start school at the same age, but second, have access to quality, early childhood learning experiences, irrespective of the setting, whether it's preschool or childcare centres.
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many studies and research and analysis show that investment in high quality, large scale, early childhood programs find that early learning experiences, including pre-literacy and numeracy skills, make the transition to school easier for children, it increases the chances of school success.
TANYA PLIBERSEK: I'm very concerned that this is not something that will just be announced by the Federal Government and then dumped on to the States to implement with no additional Federal funding.
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And we also need to see a guarantee from the Federal Government that the pay and conditions, of preschool teachers working in long day care will be improved. Because without improvement in the pay and conditions of teachers, we will continue to have the massive shortages that we have seen across the country now, in early childhood trained teachers.
Other reactions to the Government proposal
The Sydney Morning Herald, in its article 'Advocates welcome preschool overhaul', reported that:
Children's advocates say a government proposal to make education compulsory for four-year-olds is welcome, but would not work without proper funding.
Within the article, many early childhood advocates reiterated this theme:
Early Childhood Australia national president Judy Radich said the system was a mess and many parents were confused why their childcare centre could not also offer a preschool program.
'Families do want their children to have a preschool education but they want it in the services where their children are,' she told AAP.
'Why set up other services - just bring the qualified teacher to the children and give parents the choice.'
Lin Hatfield Dodds, president of the Australian Council of Social Service added:
We hope they will consider helping families with the cost of and access to preschool and childcare ... Childcare costs have risen 49 per cent between 2000 and 2004.'
(Source: 'Advocates welcome preschool overhaul')
Dr Margot Boardman, senior early childhood lecturer at the University of Tasmania, said that the proposal was 'a positive step towards ensuring quality education for children.'
However, Dr Boardman also warned that 'there was a significant difference between caring for a child and educating one' and that 'pay and organisational arrangements would have to be examined carefully.'
(Source: Reaction to school plan is positive)
The economic perspective
A feature article in the Australian, 'Class is in early', shows that the Government's announcement of a nationwide program for compulsory preschool education has a strong economic basis.
This follows recent reports from economic theorists for increased investment in the early years, including from Ross Gittens and Professor James Heckman.
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