NZEI Supports 20 Hours Free, Concern On Funding

NZEI Supports 20 Hours Free But Concerned About Funding Rates

The New Zealand Educational Institute supports the Government’s policy of providing 20 hours free education for three and four years olds but is concerned about the level of funding non profit early childhood education centres will receive to deliver the policy.

NZEI Te Riu Roa represents early childhood teachers. The union has supported the Government’s policy of providing 20 hours free education for three and four year olds since the policy was announced in May 2004.

“NZEI has advocated providing free quality early childhood education for all children since the 1990s,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, Irene Cooper. “We applaud the Government for taking a major step towards that aim with the 20 hours free policy.”

Irene Cooper says NZEI is pleased that the Ministry of Education is talking to early childhood education centres about how they can implement the policy and that many centres are committing to providing the 20 hours free education.

“Our concern is the feedback we are getting from kindergartens and other non profit early childhood education centres,” says Irene Cooper. “They’re saying that they will find it difficult to provide the 20 hours of free education at the funding rates announced by the Government.”

It appears to NZEI, that in setting the rates, the Government did not account for the fact that kindergartens rely on donations from parents, and fund raising in their communities, to cover their day to day operating costs.

That means if kindergartens commit to providing the 20 hours free education they will find it extremely difficult to collect donations, and to fund raise, because parents will assume the Government is covering the full cost of educating their children.

Irene Cooper says NZEI is also concerned that the current rate for providing the 20 hours free education may see some centres charging parents more to educate children aged under three who do not qualify for the free education. “This is not what the Government intended when it announced the free education policy.”

“It is becoming apparent that many non-profit early childhood education centres are finding that the current funding rates for the 20 hours free policy are inadequate,” says Irene Cooper. “That’s why NZEI wants to work with the Government and these non profit centres to ensure that the funding is sufficient to enable them to provide 20 free hours of quality early childhood education.”

Irene Cooper says it’s important to note that NZEI does not support raising the 20 hours free funding to a level that will mean taxpayers’ money is being used to increase the profit margins of commercial early childhood education centres.

“We have always maintained that the public money that funds this policy must be directed solely at providing a quality education for children,” says Irene Cooper. “Taxpayers money should not be used to line the pockets of commercial businesses.”

ENDS