Most early childhood centres breaching law
published:
Wednesday | May 28, 2008
The Government has allocated $200 million to assist early childhood institutions that are in danger of closure because they have breached public health and safety guidelines.
The passage of the Early Childhood Act and Regulations (2005) established legal framework and standards by which the operations of early childhood institutions in Jamaica are governed. The first requirement of the act was that all such schools apply for registration by February of this year.
Standardising schools
Speaking last Tuesday during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate, Andrew Holness, minister of education, said the Government also secured the cooperation of the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education Fund to improve so-called basic schools which were found to be operating below the standards of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC).
Holness said letters were now being sent out to institutions that have not applied and those with incomplete applications.
He said the definition of 'complete application' includes approval by the public health and fire departments and clean police records for all staff. Holness said almost 400 early childhood institutions have met these stringent requirements. The main basis of incomplete applications, he said, were missing police records, public health reports, food handler's permits and fire-safety certificates.
Meanwhile, Holness revealed that 35 early childhood inspectors were employed by the ECC last November. Inspectors received training in the Early Childhood Act and Regulations, inspection techniques, report writing, among other things.
Inspection period
Inspection of early childhood institutions began in April. So far, 124 basic schools have been assigned for inspection, of which 50 have been inspected to date. The education minister said all reports in the inspected institutions recommended that an operation permit be granted.
Holness said the ECC recently completed a loan agreement with the World Bank for a performance-based loan of US$15 million (J$1 billion) which would be used to achieve the targets set in the National Strategic Plan for the early childhood sector.
petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com
Facts
Number of basic schools islandwide: 3,224.
Schools which have made contact with the ECC: 2,308 (72 per cent).
Number of early childhood institutions which have submitted an application: 1,708 (only 390 were deemed complete).
