Teachers are horrified the Government has told a group reviewing early childhood education funding they should consider making trade-offs between quality education and cost.
Early childhood teachers also say they are shocked the group doesn’t include a single early childhood teacher representative, nor any parent or whānau representatives. Business appointments are prominent in the group.
NZEI Te Riu Roa representative and early childhood teacher Zane McCarthy says teachers are also appalled teacher-to-child ratios and teacher qualification requirements are on the table for discussion, rather than what’s really driving the costs of early childhood education.
“The things we should discuss are, firstly, whether Government funding is adequate, and secondly, the profits being made by commercial early childhood providers. When you lower standards and costs, do business owners put those savings in parents' pockets?”
Meanwhile, tamariki miss out on getting a high-quality education, he says.
“You simply cannot make trade-offs or skimp on areas, such as teacher-to-child ratios and teacher qualification requirements. These have the greatest bearing on outcomes for children attending early education. The research on this has been clear for decades.”
McCarthy says the review is the Government’s latest attack on early childhood education.
The Government recently scrapped early childhood teachers’ pay equity claim and have ended pay parity for some teachers. It also green-lit regulatory recommendations that will downgrade quality and safety in early childhood education.
McCarthy says all of the changes have flown in the face of teachers’ advice.
“Talk to any early childhood teacher, or any parent, and they’ll tell you what is in the best interests of tamariki. Qualified teachers, a higher number of teachers to children, more learning support for children who need it, and valuing teachers through fair pay and working conditions.
“We owe it to the children and parents who use early childhood education to make sure what we’re able to give them is of the best possible quality.”