Ireland bottom of class for childcare and early learning
- Published: 12 December 2008
Friday December 12 2008
Ireland comes bottom of the class in terms of early childhood education and care, an embarrassing international study of economically advanced countries has shown.
In Ireland more than 60pc of women with young children are in work, but fewer than 20pc of children under the age of three are in licensed childcare.
The report, from UNICEF, sets down 10 benchmarks relating to what governments should be doing to ensure childcare is managed in the best interests of children and society.
The best-performing country is Sweden, which meets all 10 benchmarks. But Ireland shares the dubious distinction, along with Australia and Canada, of having met only one of the benchmarks -- dealing with qualification of childcare staff.
Children's Minister Barry Andrews disputed some of the report's findings, saying that advances over the past 18 months made a number of them out of date. He claimed that Ireland did better than reported in terms of eliminating child poverty. But he agreed that more needed to be done.
The report shows that we have the second lowest percentage of four-year-olds enrolled in early education, with Switzerland in bottom place. For children aged three to six, we're just above the OECD average.
Only half of the 25 OECD counties meet the benchmark dealing with staff-to-children ratios. The report says that significant increases will be necessary "in some wealthier countries, such as Ireland, where the youngest children are often assigned to classes with the least favourable staff-to-children ratios".
The report says that at least one per cent of GDP should be spent on early childhood services. Ireland and Korea have the lowest percentages.
It says there is no convincing reason for spending less on early childhood education and care than on the educational needs of older children.
Commenting on the report, the Children's Rights Alliance called for greater investment in early childhood education.
- John Walshe Education Editor
