Sue Moroney
Early Childhood Education Spokesperson

29 October 2009 Media Advisory
Minister of Education failing early childhood education

Minister of Education Anne Tolley is failing parents, children and teachers in the early childhood education sector, Labour Early Childhood Education spokesperson Sue Moroney says.

“Anne Tolley claims that ECE is a top priority for the Government, but all National has done so far is cut back improvements, planned by Labour, such as better teacher ratios for children over two years of age and professional development for staff.

“Today’s announcement that it is extending the timeframe for achieving an 80 percent teacher registration target is yet another cut back to planned improvements,” Sue Moroney said.

“Today’s two and three-year-olds are being sold short by a Government that promised them a brighter future, improved ratios of qualified staff won't be in place in time to benefit them.

“If the Minister had bothered to consult parents and ECE providers, she would have heard that increasing the cap on ECE teacher students placements would have been more desirable than ‘dumbing’ down the sector.

"People are lining up to qualify as ECE teachers, training providers have the capacity to train them and the sector is desperate to employ them, but the Government has put the brakes on the training numbers," said Sue Moroney.

"This Government has a bad record when it comes to investing in areas of the economy where women work. This is one investment they should have made.

“New Zealand’s youngest citizens deserve better than the shambolic approach to early childhood education that National has taken,” Sue Moroney said.

ENDS

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