Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Early childhood education needs help

Published:Friday | April 29, 2022 | 12:08 AM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Repeated calls have been made urging the Government of Jamaica to invest in early childhood education but they remain bullishly focused on directing scarce resources at the secondary level. That the failure to develop early childhood institutions (ECIs) is largely to blame for the poor results at the end of secondary school appears to be lost on this Government, and sadly, the philosophy of remediation it embraces will only prolong our stay in the educational rut in which we find ourselves.

The Gleaner reported that 77 per cent of ECIs in St Thomas, Portland and St Mary did not meet the required standards for the proper development of children. However, the more startling statistic is that the Government only operates six ECIs across those three parishes; that’s roughly two schools per parish! What this means is that it has effectively relinquished its role to educate the majority of pre-primary-aged children in these parishes. Private individuals or groups have identified this as a significant gap in our education system and have attempted to fill it, albeit with unsatisfactory results.

NECESSARY MOVE

In 2017 the Government declared it would take over at least 50 per cent of private ECIs by 2020. It argued then that this was necessary because private institutions, in principle, should not be funded through the public purse. To date, the Government has not achieved its target; however, in light of the crisis that faces this sector, it may be necessary for it to review its approach to funding this sector. These schools need to be able to access substantial grants to improve their physical infrastructure. In addition, tax concessions would go a long way in helping them to purchase the indoor and outdoor equipment, furniture and supplies needed to meet the required standard established by the Early Childhood Commission. More importantly, a robust training programme must be established to improve the quality of instruction at this level where the most fundamental concepts are introduced. If and when the Government gains control of these schools, it would be able to recover its investment.

While it is easy to identify the glaring shortcomings of these ECIs, let us also laud the tremendous efforts of some of these champions of education who have converted verandahs, church halls and sheds to teach our nation’s youngest children. Now that the true nature of the challenge they face has been revealed, the Government must intervene to prop them up, especially because it is conspicuously absent from this educational space.

MARIA MUTIDJO

Teacher