Preschoolers Matter too Minister
Minister Mallard has seen sense and agreed to cease closing schools, he should now act quickly to remove the threat of
closure from preschools as well.
Latest Ministry of Education statistics indicate that shortages of trained early childhood teachers could close over 350
early childhood centres nationwide on 1 January 2005 when the government's new staffing policy takes effect. In the
Auckland region alone over 7000 families would be forced to find alternative education and care arrangements for their
preschoolers.
More than 1300 currently recognised experienced teachers working in the sector will lose their positions of
responsibility on 1 January 2005. The sector has already lost hundreds of experienced staff who since the qualifications
changes were announced in 2000 have chosen to move on to another career rather than retrain. Other government policy
changes affecting early childhood teacher supply including a moratorium on new teacher training courses, a simultaneous
moratorium on private training providers, and pay parity for kindergarten teachers have contributed to the supply of
trained early childhood teachers falling well short of demand.
ECC CEO Sue Thorne said the chronic staff shortages are the direct result of a deliberate policy to drive experienced
teachers out of the education and care sector.
"The blame for the massive closures can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Minister and his advisors from the
primary teachers' union" Mrs Thorne said. "Our sector is furious about the unnecessary stress centre staff, managers and
ultimately families have been placed under as a result of this ill conceived policy."
Now that Minister Mallard has conceded that his school closure policy is flawed and has stopped closing schools he
should also reverse his flawed decision to force experienced staff out of the early childhood sector. In future the
Minister would be well advised to leave the setting of training standards to the sector, rather than taking poor advice
and meddling in an area well outside his area of expertise.