Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
DESPITE A two per cent increase in the allocation to early childhood education in the 2006/2007 National Budget, funding remains substantially inadequate according to a proposal from prominent educator Dr. Ralph Thompson.
Dr. Thompson, a vocal critic of the local education system, said last week that Government should substantially increase allocations from its National Education Budget to early childhood education as the four per cent put forward last year was inadequate.
Dr. Thompson, a member of the National Council on Education, as well as the Early Childhood Commission, made the observa-tion last Wednesday at the Strategising for National Develop-ment forum, organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston.
"If Government is serious about correcting early childhood neglect, this sector should be allotted a minimum of 11 per cent of the National Education Budget," said Dr. Thompson. "Assuming an education budget of $35 billion, this would provide $3.8 billion for early childhood education at this critical juncture."
SERIOUS ANALYSIS
The educator's comments came the same day the Government tabled the 2006/2007 Estimates of Expenditure, which includes an allocation of just under $2.5 billion to early childhood educa-tion from a $41 billion education budget.
Dr. Thompson urged Govern-ment to take a serious look at implementing the 11 per cent minimum as the $5 billion it committed to early education from the National Housing Trust last year had "disappeared into the maw of the Ministries of Education and Finance."
He said an increase in funds would assist in properly training and qualifying teachers to train pre-schoolers, many of whom go on to primary schools. He said there were currently 4,000 pre-trained teachers in the early childhood sector preparing 140,000 students between the ages of one and six.
NO REGULATION
"Early childhood education has been left unregulated in the pious hope that so-called community basic schools, 98 per cent run by private individuals for profit, can get the job done," Dr. Thompson noted. "This has been a huge mistake."
He said that, because most principals and teachers at basic schools are not suitably trained, many of their students who go on to primary school do so barely literate.
"About half the youngsters entering primary schools at age six are not properly prepared to take advantage of the learning experience," Dr. Thompson said. "They are speaking only patois and few can read."
The ICAJ forum was also addressed by professor Barry Chevannes; former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga; and businessman Wayne Chen.
