Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 October 2004
117 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Education and Science her reaction to the OECD report, Thematic Review of Early Childhood and Care Policy, in particular the proposal to continue and improve the Early Start programme on a full-day basis for disadvantaged children. [26120/04]
View answerI recognise that high quality early education prior to entry into formal schooling can lead to lasting social benefits that persist throughout life, both for the individual and for society. Research also indicates that early childhood education is especially beneficial for children who are disadvantaged or who have special needs. Parents too can benefit significantly from involvement in early education through improved self-confidence and better relationships with their children.
For this reason, I welcome the OECD's report both as an assessment of the current situation and as a stimulus to debate and reflection on the future of early childhood education and care provision. I agree with the OECD's conclusion that in disadvantaged areas, early childhood services need to be intensive, multi-functional and co-ordinated across services and agencies.
Early childhood education and care is a horizontal policy issue involving several Departments and agencies. The policy implications of the recommendations arising from the OECD review are under active consideration within my own Department and by the interdepartmental high level group on child care and early education, which is chaired by the National Children's Office.
The future development of early childhood education provision for disadvantaged children, including the Early Start scheme, is being considered as part of an overall review of my Department's educational disadvantage programmes. I consider it important that strategy in this regard should be set out in an integrated context rather than being addressed as a stand-alone measure. This recommendation will be considered in the context of the review.
I want to ensure that any future actions by my Department in the area of early childhood education are based on a collaborative approach with other Departments involved in the overall early childhood care and education sector. Meeting the overall objective of providing the best possible service to the communities and children involved requires that any educational provision by my Department take account of child care measures under the remit of other Departments.
We have ample evidence from this report, a report on the Tallaght area to which Deputy Crowe referred and many other reports, of the importance of early intervention. Does the Minister intend to consider giving a free pre-school place to all children, as suggested, and to give more intensive support to children in disadvantaged areas, in line with a further suggestion?
In that context, Deputy Enright's question about the Early Start project is significant. Has the Minister plans to extend the number of schools that qualify under that project? That process has been static, as has that of designating schools as disadvantaged. Has the Minister plans to designate more schools as disadvantaged, given that many schools that were not designated as disadvantaged in the early stages are still not benefiting from opportunities in this regard?
I do not envisage I will be in a position to offer a free pre-school place to every child in the country. I do not believe Government resources would allow that. However, I will target three special areas in this regard. The first is the area of disadvantage, which has a particular benefit, as mentioned in regard to the Tallaght approach. The second area is children with special needs. That will fit in neatly with the Disability Bill and not only the education for persons with special educational needs legislation. These are children who, when their needs have been assessed and identified, can benefit greatly from early intervention. I envisage the pre-school provision fitting in with that. The third area on which I will focus is quality. It is not sufficient simply to provide funds for providers, be they in the education sector or in the child care sector, unless we can be sure quality control measures are in place. They will be my priorities rather than simply ensuring there will be a pre-school place for every child in the country.
I have already addressed the issue of the Early Start project, which will be dealt with in the context of the review. As soon as it is finalised and comes on my desk, and not that of The Irish Times, I will be able to move forward on it fairly quickly. I hope programmes such as the Early Start project can be developed, although that may not be the one that will be developed. I have already addressed the question of disadvantage. There is no golden rule as to what qualifies for disadvantaged status. We need to have targeted responses in various areas.
The Minister answered the question on the Early Start project. The programme for Government gave a commitment in respect of this area. I appreciate she was not the Minister responsible for this area at the time. Two and a half years have almost passed since a commitment was given to expand State funded early education places. Other countries have different practices in this area. In some countries children do not start school until the age of five. The Minister mentioned such provision in the context of social integration. If such a measure can help to keep children in school, surely, from that perspective, it is a good place to start rather than merely from the education perspective in terms of developing reading and writing skills. I am aware the report is not on the Minister's desk yet but can she indicate a timeframe as to when its recommendations will be implemented? The programme for Government has a limited life span and it will end in 2007. Is the Minister satisfied the report's recommendations will be in place by then?
The commitment of Government to increase the number of pre-school places still exists, but such provision will not be widespread throughout the country nor would that represent the best use of resources. My predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, initiated the report currently being drafted. He did a great deal of work in the area of disadvantage and in trying to bring together the various schemes. The report is very far advanced. I aim to immediately start implementing its recommendations. I hope to have the report this month or certainly before Christmas. Some of its recommendations might be difficult for people to accept. Some of them might state that there are schemes in operation that are not having the required and desired effects. Some of the recommendations might state that a scheme should not be advanced but rather that another one should be implemented. That can be difficult for schools and communities to take on board. Therefore, we must find a balance to make sure that if we stop operating a scheme we will not leave people who need a service without it. Equally, if we can identify areas that need resources more than others, we can target them. Therefore, there is no point in asking whether I will implement the schemes that work because I will do so. However, one should not expect to come back here in a few months to ask why a scheme is being removed. If we are to accept the advances that need to be made in disadvantaged areas through targeted programmes that will enable the children to reach their potential, there may well be hard decisions to be made. I will make them on the basis of the report.
