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Public preschools to charge fees
Anna Patty
September 7, 2011 - 12:28AM
THE state government will begin charging fees at publicly owned preschools from next year, 24 of which serve Aboriginal communities.
The fees will be in line with those charged by community-run preschools, which charge up to $40 to $50 a day, or less depending on the area.
The Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, said the decision would ''ensure consistency'' across the early childhood education and care sector.
But Tony Vinson, honorary professor from the faculty of education and social work at the University of Sydney, said the decision was ''absolutely terrible'' because it would disadvantage families in poor areas.
''If a policy of charging market prices for enrolment in public preschools were to be applied universally, it will perpetuate educational disadvantages that swell the numbers of people filling our jails and institutions,'' he said. ''I cannot think of a more destructive and short-sighted policy.''
Professor Vinson conducted a national study in 2006 which found that some children started school with no idea of what to do with a pen, paintbrush or book.
At the time, he said NSW needed to more than double its funding for preschools, on which children from disadvantaged families in particular depended to develop their foundation skills for learning.
The state government operates 100 preschools at primary schools across the state in areas including Wilcannia, Boggabilla, Annandale, Mount Druitt and Lurnea. Of them, 24 are in communities with large numbers of Aboriginal families.
Mr Piccoli said ''the most needy families and parents doing it tough'' would receive fee relief after fees were introduced.
Education department officials said a safety net would be offered to parents on low incomes, but no details of how this would be means tested had yet been developed.
The opposition education spokeswoman, Carmel Tebbutt, said many of the preschools served disadvantaged families who could not afford to pay fees.
Ms Tebbutt said the state government had slashed its contribution to capital works. She said the state contribution to capital works, not including federal funding for school building programs, was $623 million last year compared with the Coalition government's contribution of $357 million this year.
A spokesman for Mr Piccoli said the previous government had borrowed $150 million for capital works, which accounted for much of the difference in spending.
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/e ... 20110906-1jvzg.html |
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漢家仍有舊山河 (2024-7-23) 澳云哦 
发表于 2011-9-7 14:00
发表于 2011-9-7 14:05
