13th September 2011
FOR USE 14th September 2011

Petition on early childhood funding cuts goes to Select Committee

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to listen to the voice of tens of thousands of New Zealanders who want funding cuts to early childhood reversed.

Parliament’s Education and Science Select Committee will today (Wednesday 14 September) consider a petition signed by more than 62,000 people calling for more investment in early childhood education.

“We are now part of an increasingly loud chorus of groups calling for a dramatic improvement in chid poverty through investment in the early years, says NZEI Spokesperson Hayley Whitaker.

NZEI launched the petition in February this year in response to huge community concern over government’s funding cuts to early childhood centres.

The cuts, announced in the May 2010 Budget, targeted ECE services with more than 80% qualified staff and saw thousands lose almost 13% of their funding and parents hit by fee rises of up to 12% nationwide. Many centres say they expect fees to rise again.

The petition, presented to MPs after a large march up Auckland’s Queen St in July,
calls for the funding cuts to be reversed and for the government to invest 1% of GDP on early childhood education as recommended by UNICEF. New Zealand spends less than 0.8% which is well below the OECD average.

Hayley Whitaker says cuts to early childhood education have affected communities throughout the country causing financial stress to parents and centres alike. “The numbers signing the petition symbolize the strength of feeling among parents and families that the cuts are unacceptable, shortsighted and damaging,” she says.

The Select Committee hearing will be in Committee Room 3 at 10.20am tomorrow (14/9)

ENDS

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