Transcript www.omepireland.ie

The Way Forward for the
‘Early Years’
VALEDICTORY LECTURE
by
Dr. Francis Douglas
Friday 27th November, 2009
This lecture will be published on the OMEP (Ireland)
website www.omepireland.ie
(L’Organisation Mondiale pour l’Education
Prescolaire)
Slide 1
Dr. Douglas, The Professor of Early Childhood Studies retired on the
1st of October, 2009 and before giving his farewell lecture he said :
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I would like to thank the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Dara Murphy; the President
of UCC, Dr. Michael Murphy; the former Vice President of UCC, Professor Aine
Hyland; the Dean of Social Sciences, Professor Fred Powell; and Professor David Cox,
Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences; for the very generous
things they have just said about me.
I would like to thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin TD, for his very
kind comments. I would also like to thank him for approaching me when he was the
opposition spokesperson for Education and involving me in the drawing up of the
Fianna Fail position paper on Early Childhood Education. It was this position paper
which provided the catalyst, when he became Minister of Education, for the Forum for
early Childhood Education in Dublin Castle, at which Dr. Mary Horgan and myself
were invited to speak, and the Forum Report and subsequent White Paper on Early
Childhood Education which was published in 1999.
I would also like to thank Deirdre Clune TD and David Stanton TD for inviting me to
do likewise when they were formulating Fine Gail’s policy on the “Early Years”. I
would also like to take this opportunity to encourage their party to continue to look
seriously at Early Childhood Education and Care as I’m sure they will.
I would like to thank the Head of the School of Education UCC, Professor Kathy Hall,
for hosting this event and since her arrival, two years ago, for engaging the UCC
“Early Years Team” in the writing of a book on the Italian pre-school educator
Malaguzzi. Early Childhood Studies is in good hands! I would also like to thank all my
colleagues in the Education Department, UCC who supported me over the years.
I would like to express my deepest thanks to Dr. Joe McEvoy, formerly Head of the
Education Department in St. Joseph’s College of Education, Andersonstown, Belfast.
for first fascinating me with Early Childhood Education with his inspirational lectures
on Educational Psychology.
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I would like to thank Dr. Mary Wall, who was Head of the Education Department in
UCC from 1988 to 1993, for supporting my proposal for a course on “Learning and
the Pre-School Child” which was taught through the UCC Adult Education Department
from 1989 until 1993. Large numbers of interested people from all over Munster
took this course. I would also like to remember the late Sean O Mhurchu, the
Director of Adult Education at the time, for his enthusiastic promotion of this
innovative programme.
I would like to thank the four Professors---Professor Aine Hyland (Education),
Professor Fred Powell (Applied Social Studies), Professor Peter Kearney (Paediatrics
and Child Health) and Professor Max Taylor (Applied Psychology) who agreed to
involve their Departments in the new BA Degree in Early Childhood Studies when it
was being planned in 1994/1995. They took a risk and I shall ever be grateful. Other
officers of the University also took risks! I would like to thank the Dean of Arts at the
time---Professor Tom Dunne--- and the Dean of Medicine---Professor John Hall. The
support of the Registrar---Professor Aidan Moran---and the President----Dr Michael
Mortell were crucial. A special word of thanks must go to Professor Maire Mulcahy
who argued the case for a degree in Early Childhood Studies at the Senate of the
NUI, and behind the scenes in Dublin, to our benefit.
UCC would not function if it were not for its administrative staff. With respect to
thanking them Hannah Joyce must come top of the list. Hannah joined the
Department of Education in UCC in 1980 when I did. Since then she has had to put
up with constant questions and bright ideas from me which inevitably involved her in
more work! I see her very clear hand in the organisation of this function and I thank
her for it. I would also like to thank the rest of her team in the School of Education
and in particular Claire Dooley who over the years has always given me the benefit of
her wisdom and experience.
I would like to thank the officers of the College and the Registrar’s Department who
have worked with me over the years. Dr. Anne Mills deserves a special word of
thanks for pioneering different methods of access which greatly benefited Early
Childhood Studies.
With respect to Early Childhood Studies Lorraine Crossan, the ECS Manager, has been
involved almost from the inception of the degree. It is her administrative procedures
and her interpersonal skills that have contributed so much to its success.
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I would like to thank the members of the Executive Management Group of Early
Childhood Studies who meet every Thursday afternoon during term time. The key
members over the years have been Dr. Anne Gaffney (Paediatrics), Dr. Aileen Malone
(Paediatrics), Marcella Towler (Paediatrics), Dr. Zelda Di Blasi (App Psychology), Dr.
Angela Veale (Applied Psychology), Dr. Deirdre Horgan (Applied Social Studies), Dr.
Shirley Martin (Applied Social Studies), Dr. Mary Horgan (Education), Dr. Anna
Ridgeway (Education), Pat O’Connor (Education), Lorraine Crossan (Education) and
Aoife Duggan (Education).
I would like to congratulate Dr. Anna Ridgway, Pat O’Connor, Dr. Denice Cunningham
and Florence Noonan Lepaon for running such an outstanding placement programme
for the ECS students which includes workshops in our purpose designed classrooms
in St. Vincent’s Primary School, St. Mary’s Road, Cork. I can assure them that this
preparation for placement course is the envy of all other third level ECS programmes
in the Country.
I would like to thank Professor David Cox for his faith in putting me forward to be
appointed as Vice Dean of Arts in 2003. Subsequently, he renewed his faith in
suggesting to the President of UCC that he should appoint me as Deputy Head of the
College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences in 2005. I would also like to thank
him for the friendship that he and his wife Roz have shown me over the years.
I would like to thank Professor Noirin Hayes, of the Dublin Institute of Technology, for
her support. Ever since I read her M.Ed. Thesis on Nursery Education in South
Dublin, which she submitted to TCD in the early 1980’s, we have worked together to
improve Early Childhood Education and Care in this country.
I would like to thank Sylda Lankford, now the Principal Officer in the Office for the
Minister of Children, for appointing me to the Certifying Bodies Subgroup of the
Government Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform. This subgroup produced
The Model Framework for Education Training and Professional Development in the
Early Childhood Care and Education Sector which was launched by Minister McDowell
in 2002. I would also like to thank her for more recently suggesting me as the Irish
University’s Association spokesperson on the Sectoral Standards Committee of the
NQAI to consider the mapping of childcare qualifications in this Country. Sylda retires
in the coming year and as a native of Cork, as a person who sat her final exams in
this very room in the 1960’s I hope that UCC will at least consider her for an honoury
degree. I can think of no-one in Ireland who has done so much to benefit the lives of
young children in this State as she has.
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I would like to thank Clare Healy for inviting me to become involved with Montessori
on the net, an Irish Company which has had a significant affect on early education,
particularly in Norway.
A number of years ago I was greatly honoured by being made a Patron of the Irish
Pre- School Playgroups Association and OMEP (Ireland). I would like to wish both
these organisations well in the future.
I would like to draw attention to, and publicly thank, a small number of our most
successful Ph.D.students who also completed the BA (ECS) in UCC. For example, Dr.
Florence Dineen now heads the Early Childhood Studies Department in Mary
Immaculate College, Limerick; Dr. Maura Cunneen is a full-time permanent member
of the School of Education in UCC; Dr. Rosaleen Murphy and Dr. Mary Daly have been
employed by the NCCA and had a huge influence on the development of Aistear, the
Irish National Curriculum for the zero to six year old child. And there are many more
that I apologise to for not being able to mention by name.
I would like to thank the late Ray Murphy and Colin McCrea of Tara for funding
Project EYE, which developed a curriculum for the three to four year old child that
ties closely in with Aistear, and for funding the “Early Years Post-Graduate
Programme” which has resulted in a significant number of completed Ph.D’s since its
inception in 1998.
I would like to thank the Irish Sisters of Charity for inviting me to serve on the Board
of Management of St Vincent’s Secondary School, St. Mary’s Road, Cork for fifteen
years, nine of which I spent as Chairperson. I would particularly like to thank the
three school principals who served with me during that time for their generosity of
spirit towards me---Sister Patricia (now known as Sister Eilish), Josephine Coffey and
Donnacha OBrien. In addition, I would particularly like to thank Josephine and her
husband Pat for the very real kindness that they have shown me over the years.
I would like to thank the Board of management of the Cork College of Commerce for
co-opting me to represent “The World of Education” for the past ten years.
I would like to thank those that invited me to give over 163 public lectures in Ireland
and abroad. I would like to thank those that invited me to be external examiner for
courses here and abroad. And I would like to thank all those that invited me to sit on
the validating panels of new “Early Years” Degrees in Ireland. It is with a great deal
of pleasure that I have seen the BA Degree, introduced in UCC in 1995, adopted
since then by ten other third level institutions in this Country.
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I owe a great debt of gratitude to the staff who befriended me over my 29 years in
UCC such as Dr.Liz Gebruers, Dr. Anne Harris, Professor Fred Powell, Professor Aine
Hyland, Dr. Maeve Conrick, Dr Norma Ryan, Professor Grace Neville, Dr.Tracey
Connolly, Dr. Ciaran Dawson, Dr. Feilim O’hAdhmaill , Professor Peter Herrmann and
many others.
Dr. Mary Horgan has taken over from me as the Director of Early Childhood Studies in
UCC. No-one could be more delighted than I at this turn of events. What is perhaps
not realised is that there would have been no BA Degree in Early Childhood Studies
in UCC without her. In the year before the degree started, and in the early years of
the degrees development, she worked all the hours of the day and the night to make
the programme the success that it became. I know that she would agree with me
when I say that this could not have been done without the support of her mother Eilis
and her husband Michael. When Michael became a Veterinary Surgeon little did he
realise that he would play a major part in the development of Early Childhood Studies
in this country!
I would like to pay tribute to Hilary the mother of my children, who died just before
Christmas almost 13 years ago. I would also like to pay tribute to our children, Niall
and Aoife, of whom I am immensely proud. I also wish to acknowledge their
respective partners, Megan and Donie. Without my children and their partners the
World would be a much less pleasant place.
In my life I have loved a small number of women with a passion which comes from
the depth of my soul. They are, perhaps, the only human beings who have seen the
inner me. Their love has shaped the way I am. There is no way that I can repay that
love for it has a price beyond gold. In particular, in this context, I would like to thank
my partner Anne who, over the last two years, has brought me such joy and
happiness.
[1]
INTRODUCTION
Slide 2
 The
Traveller Boy
 Haunted
by the findings of Dr. Wall of
the London Institute of Education
and Professor Jerome Bruner.
 Importance
of improving the status
of Early Childhood Education and
Care. [I have concentrated on
Education and Training]
Slide 3
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 3
THE TRAVELLER BOY
Cast your mind back to the 1980’s and imagine me in a pre-school for travellers in
Turners Cross, Cork. The Montessori teacher is Vera Flynn who subsequently went on
to be well known in Montessori circles here and abroad. The child I am observing is a
boy of about four years of age. Vera tells me that no-one is really sure of his age as
he doesn’t have a birth certificate and he has only recently arrived in the Cork area.
This boy is covered in lice, stinks to high heaven, has holes in his clothes through
which you can see his emaciated body and has on two left hand Wellington boots. I
watch him as he blows through a straw holding his hand at different distances from
the end of it and feeling the force of the moving air. Next he takes a plastic junction
box and attaches his straw to it. Now when he blows through the straw he can feel
air coming out of four short pipes at right angles to the central straw. Next he fastens
four more straws to these pipes so that when he blows through the central straw the
air comes out of each of them. Next, after some thought, he bends the end of each of
the four straws in such a way that as he blows through the central straw the whole
thing revolves like a turbine. He smiles and puts his creation down on the table. The
whole concentrated episode lasted for thirteen and a half minutes which was to
become the longest time that I was ever to see a child of that age concentrate for,
without interruption, in my entire career. Nor did I see such an intelligent or creative
child of that age again. I returned to the pre-school a fortnight later to find that he
and his family had left the Cork area and it was suspected that they had gone to a
funeral in Donegal. Vera told me that she thought he was stone deaf but held out
little hope that she would ever see him again.
I am telling you this story because I passionately believe that firstly, you can find
brightness and creativity in every strata of society and that secondly, the child must
always be the centre of our focus. It is all too easy for adults to start suiting
themselves when it comes to the education of our children.
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HAUNTED BY THE FINDINGS OF DR. WALL OF THE LONDON INSTITUTE OF
EDUCATION AND PROFESSOR JEROME BRUNER.
When, in the 1970’s, I became deeply interested in early childhood education whilst I
was serving as a Lecturer in St. Josephs College of Education in Andersonstown,
Belfast. I read an article which Dr. Wall had published in the 1960’s in which he said
that, on average, half a human beings learning had taken place by the age of four.
What more proof do you require of the vital importance of the early years? Professor
Jerome Bruner reinforced this in the 1970’s when he said that core learning was well
advanced by the age of five. I accept, however, that the truth of these statements
does depend on your definition of learning.
IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING THE STATUS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND
CARE.
I have spent my working life trying to improve the status of this area. Given my
background as a primary, post primary and third level teacher it is perhaps not
surprising that I concentrated on education and training in order to achieve this
goal. However, my belief was reinforced by an increasing amount of research, from
different countries, which showed that the higher the level of qualification that the
pre-school practitioner held the more stimulating the experience of the young child in
their care.
Quality Pre-School Services
Child Centred Curriculum
[Aistear]
[Play]
Quality
[Siolta]
Structures
Training
Ex 1991 Childcare Act
2006 Pre-School Regs.
Ex BA (ECS)
FETAC Level 5
Slide 4
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 4
I have frequently said that one simple way to look at the quality of provision in
education is to consider, or analyse, it in three ways. These three ways are,
structures, training and curriculum. You can see these three in this diagram where I
have purposely put curriculum at the top because this is what the child receives and
structures and training only have a supporting, although vital, role. We are very
fortunate that before the government closed down the excellent Centre for Early
Childhood Development and Education, almost exactly a year ago, the latter had
managed to obtain agreement across the sector for the quality standards to be
adopted by all. These standards, and the level of agreement arrived at, are the envy
of many other countries in the world. It is therefore unfortunate that the next stage,
their full implementation, which was envisaged in the White Paper on Early Education
(1999) will not now occur. The quality, or otherwise, of our pre-school provision will
begin to affect Irish society in 10 to 15 years time as our present zero to six year
olds become teenagers.
Another step forward for the pre-school world has come with the recent publication
by the NCCA of Aistear-the agreed national curriculum for the zero to six year old
child in this country.
[2]
PROFESSIONALISM
Slide 5
 “A
Professional is a member of a
vocation founded upon
specialised educational training”.
(Wikipedia)
Slide 6
 Classically
there were only three
professions:
Divinity
Medicine
Law
Slide 7
Historically, the main milestones which
mark an occupation being identified
as a profession are:
It became a full-time occupation
 The first training school was established
 The first university school was established
 The first local association was established
 The first national assoc. was established
 The codes of professional ethics were
introduced
 State licensing laws were established
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Slide 8
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 8.
It is interesting to read this and see how far we in Early Childhood Education and
Care have come. Over recent years childcare has become a full time occupation. The
first full time two year certificate course on childcare was established by Sister
Michael in Cathal Brugha Street (now part of the DIT) in the mid 1970’s. The first
Honours Degree Course in Ireland, North or South, was established here, in UCC, in
1995. The first local association was established about two years ago in Cork as “The
Association of Childcare Professionals (Cork Branch)”. I am delighted to be able to
tell you that I heard recently that Waterford is proposing to form a second branch.
Usually what happens is that when there are sufficient local branches someone will
suggest that representatives from the local branches should form a National
Association. The key point to remember is that this type of professional association
cannot be enforced from the top. Like “Quality” it must come from the bottom up.
[3]
The Model Framework for
Education, Training and
Professional Development
(J.E. & L. R. 2002)
Slide 9
Slide 10
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 10.
The Model Framework for Education, Training and Professional Development
published by the Government Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform
proposes five different levels of education and training from Basic Practitioner to
Expert Practitioner with different levels of practical experience at each level built in.
In order to deal with the real situation on the ground it also proposes a method
whereby you can climb the ladder with no formal qualifications. This is necessary
when you are moving from a situation where few in the sector are qualified by
examination although they have experience, to a situation where, hopefully,
everybody will be qualified by experience and examination. I am delighted to hear
that most people working with young children in the Cork area now have a FETAC
level 5 qualification and many of them a level 6 or above.
Slide 11
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 11.
The Model Framework also contains this diagram containing core knowledge and
skills which are incorporated into all five levels in the framework.
I myself found this diagram particularly useful as a checklist when validating degrees
in Early Childhood Education and Care for HETAC in Institutes of Technology and
private colleges all over Ireland.
[4]
UCC’s
Survey of Graduates
(B.A. Early Childhood
Studies 1995-2008)
Slide 12
BA (ECS) UCC At the Time of the Survey 2008
Unemployed
2%
Other
5%
Primary
Teaching
25%
Social Care
13%
Childcare
13%
Lecturing
7%
Postgraduate
Study
14%
Special
Needs/Child
Health
21%
Slide 13
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 13.
This diagram, which is taken from a recent OMEP (Ireland) publication compiled and
edited by Pat O’Connor, is interesting as it charts the employment of the UCC
graduates from the first to graduate in 1998 to the graduates of 2007. As can be
seen 25% have become primary teachers by taking a graduate course in primary
teaching, either here or abroad, after they obtained there degree. The other
significant grouping concerns “Special Needs” (21%) and “Social Care” (13%). It is of
particular significance that 7% of our graduates are now lecturing either at third level
or in what I would call “two and a half level” such as in our Cork College of
Commerce where there are currently over 300 students enrolled on childcare or early
education courses. Finally, it should be noted that at the time of the survey 14% of
our graduates where enrolled on postgraduate courses. This bodes extremely well for
their future and the future of Early Childhood Education and Care in this Country.
A striking finding from this survey is that only 13% of our graduates have chosen to
find employment in the childcare sector probably reflecting the low status and low
pay and prospects of this area. I repeat again that there is now a very strong body of
research to show that, all other things being equal, the higher the level of
qualification the better the experience of the young child. If we really do care about
the future of our youngest citizens we need as a society to address the issue of the
pay and conditions of our pre-school educators.
[5]
Curriculum
Slide 14
Connections across Curriculum
CHILD
(Project EYE)
Early Childhood
Curriculum used in
Ireland
Creative
Language
Personal
Social
Physical
Emotional
Moral
Spiritual
Cognitive
Aistear
Framework for
Early Learning
Development
Well-being
Identity and belonging
Communication
Exploring and thinking
Primary School
Curriculum
Language
Mathematics
Social, environmental
and scientific educ.
Arts education
Physical education
Social, personal and
health education
Religious education*
* Religious education is the responsibility of the different church groups.
Taken from Framework for Early Learning (NCCA 2006)
Slide 15
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 15.
This diagram is taken from the NCCA discussion document entitled “The Framework
for Early Learning” published in 2006. The chairperson of the advisory committee was
Dr. Liz Dunphy of St. Patrick’s College of Education, Drumcondra, Dublin and the
deputy chairperson was my colleague in UCC, Dr. Mary Horgan. The eight
developmental areas upon which Mary and I decided when we were developing
“Project EYE: An Irish Curriculum for the three to four year old child” appear in the
left hand column together with an additional one (Personal) which the committee felt
to be necessary. “Project EYE” was the result of a three year research project,
commencing in 1996, for which Mary and I received IR£100,000 from “Tara” which
has now become “Atlantic Philanthropies”. This curriculum has now sold more than
800 copies and has been purchased by both pre-schools and primary schools in this
country and abroad. It is perhaps the endeavour of which I am most proud as it
contains the real-life curriculum experiences of Cork pre-school educators and it is
empowering and transferable in its content to the undoubted benefit of all those
adults and children that come into contact with it.
It should be noted that the developmental areas on the left of the diagram flow into
four themes before expanding out into the seven areas of the revised primary school
curriculum of 1999. This will hopefully lead to a “seam-less transition” between the
pre-school and the primary school.
[6]
Comparison
of Ireland
with Denmark
Slide 16
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 16
I now wish to compare Ireland with Denmark with respect to Early Childhood
Education and Care. It is my view that there is much to be gained from the study of
other countries as their different systems bring into sharp focus the provision that we
have in this country---alternative ways of doing things are thus highlighted.
GDP Per Capita of Ireland and Denmark
Relative to EU average 1960-2008
Relative to EU average
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
Year
Sources: http://www.ggdc.net/
and http://www.cso.ie/
Average EU=1.0
Denmark % EU
Slide 17
Ireland % EU
2008
2006
2004
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
1988
1986
1984
1982
1980
1978
1976
1974
1972
1970
1968
1966
1964
1962
1960
0
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 17
This graph shows that from 1960 until 1988 Ireland was a poor country which had a
per capita income of approximately 0.6 of the EU average. From 1988 until 2007
Ireland became richer reaching a peak of just over 1.3 of the EU average and then
declined. However, Ireland is still a rich country and is comparable to Denmark in
wealth and income per head of population. It is therefore instructive to compare the
two social systems.
Public Expenditure on Education
(2002)
10
8
6
4
2
0
Ireland
Denmark
Public Expenditure on Education (% GDP)
2002
Pre-Primary and Primary % of GDP 2002
Sources:
http://www.ggdc.net/
http://www.cso.ie/
Slide 18
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 18
It can be seen that the Danes spend almost double the amount that Ireland does on
Pre-Primary and Primary Education (As a % of GDP).
Tax Revenues % GDP (2002)
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Ireland
Denmark
Sources:
http://www.ggdc.net/
http://www.cso.ie/
Slide 19
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COMMENT ON SLIDE 19
This is paid for by having a much higher level of taxation----almost 50% as against
30%.
The Irish Economy
If you value all Irish people as being equal it could
be argued that between 1995 and 2008 there
was a missed opportunity to invest in those
people i.e. in:
(a) health
(b) education
(c) childcare
(d) affordable housing
Instead there was a significant reduction in overall
taxation during this period which limited the
development of (a) – (d) above.
Slide 20

For the next part of my presentation I am going to look very briefly at the Danish
pre-school system, concluding with the Education and Training of their Social
Educators. I will let you make your own comparisons with Ireland and draw your own
conclusions.
DENMARK
 In
1974 approximately 50% of
mothers stayed at home with young
children.
 Today
well over 90% of mothers
return to full time employment after
their maternity leave.
Slide 21
 There
has been an increased demand
for pre-school places since 1974
despite the birth rate falling from
approx. 80,000 in 1974 to 60,000 in
1986 to 57,000 in 2008. This has put
enormous pressure on the public
purse.
Slide 22
DENMARK
 The
most wealthy parents pay a
maximum of 30% of the cost of preschool provision. [This has been a
legal requirement since 1993].
 Poorer
parents can be subsidised up
to the total cost of this type of
provision.
Slide 23
DENMARK
 Pre-Primary
•
•
•
training of social
educators (Paedagoger) [1]
Since 1992 all pre-school educators
have followed a training course which
leads to a BA degree
Educator training takes place in
‘Educator’ training colleges
The training course lasts 41 months
[Three and a half years]
Slide 24
•
The students are required to
undertake three placements
1st placement – 12 weeks
2nd placement – 6 months
3rd placement - 6 months
Note: The students are not paid for
the 1st placement..
Either the 2nd or 3rd placement may
be taken abroad.
Slide 25
DENMARK

•
•
Pre-Primary training of social
educators (Paedagoger) [11]
Students can specialise in various areas
relating to children, adolescents and
adults [Pre-school, After school and Youth
work]
In their final year students are required to
submit an extended essay/project
(nominal duration 10 weeks) which is then
assessed through an individual
examination.
Slide 26
•
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
The subject areas studied are as
follows:
Education and Psychology (30%)
Social Theory and Health Education
(20%)
Cultural and Physical Activities
[Danish; Music; Sport & Movement;
Craft & Design; Drama; Ecology
etc] (40%)
Communication [Organisational
Theory/Leadership] (10%)
Slide 27
DENMARK
Only one fifth of the entrants to social
educator training have to be school
leavers with the traditional University
entrance requirement. This leads to a
large number of mature students being
recruited.
 Social Educators are paid at the same rate
as Primary Teachers and perhaps because
of this approximately 20% of those
recruited are men. Promotional prospects
in the Public Service are good.

Slide 28
 The
demand for places for this
degree is very high with only about
one fifth of those applying gaining a
place.
 The pre-school teacher union BUPL is
very strong.
Slide 29
DENMARK
 In
addition to social educators there
are also childcare assistants to help
them.
 These
childcare assistants have the
opportunity to take the BA degree on
a part time basis.
Slide 30
DENMARK
 The
Danish University of Education
(Danmarks Paedagogiske Universitet)
•
•
•
Founded 1st July 2000
Objective is to carry out research on
all aspects of education
Also to offer M.Ed. And Ph.D.
programmes
Slide 31
 In-service
courses are offered by:
(a) BUPL (Pre-primary teacher union)
(b) The Danish University of
Education
Slide 32
[7]
Conclusion
Slide 33


COMMENT ON SLIDE 33
Regardless of our views on Denmark, and I favour their system, we must find a way
in Ireland to reduce the cost of caring for young children. When it costs Euro 200 per
week to have your baby looked after in South Dublin it is not “rocket science” to work
out that many parents (usually women) on average wages or less will find it to their
economic advantage to receive social welfare payments rather than working. This is a
recipe for economic disaster.
IRELAND - [THE FUTURE]
Free Pre-School Year
 Children
born on or before 2nd
February 2005 and 30th June 2005
will be eligible to enter the scheme in
January 2010.
A
higher capitation grant of €75 per
week is available where the preschool leader holds a Level 7 or Level
8 Early Years education related
qualification.
Slide 34




COMMENT ON SLIDE 34
The Free Pre-School Year is a very positive development and is I hope the start of
this government addressing seriously the issue of childcare and “early years”
education.
I have been convinced for many years that if we are to improve the status of preschools in Ireland the Government must subsidise the supply side of childcare as the
local authorities and the government do in Denmark. (The Irish government, for
example, have no problem subsidising the supply side of our approx. 3,200 Primary
Schools most of which are legally private schools under the trusteeship of either the
Catholic or Protestant Bishops). I hope that the Government will use the Free PreSchool year as a starting point and put in place a comprehensive, well paid, high
quality system of Early Childhood Education and Care in this country.
The Free Pre-School Year is, as I say, a very positive development (although, at the
moment, the capitation fee is too low but will, hopefully, improve in the future).
Another very positive development is the extension of paid maternity leave in recent
years. It is my strong belief that the best place for a child is with his or her parent in
their first year of life and we as a society have taken considerable steps towards that
goal. It would be my hope that future Irish Governments will extend paid
maternity/parental leave to one year and then by offering a free childcare place for
the one to three year olds they will achieve (with the Free Pre-School Year) a high
quality, comprehensive, universal system for all. (I would have no objection to the
rich in our society having to pay up to 30% of the cost, like the Danes).
IRELAND – [THE FUTURE]
Siolta
Aistear
Slide 35


COMMENT ON SLIDE 35
Two further bright lights for the future are Siolta and Aistear the agreed Quality
Standards for the Education and Care of the three to six year old child and the
agreed National Curriculum for the zero to six year old child. As the Early Childhood
Education and Care Sector are all agreed it should not be difficult, as resources
become available, to move the agenda for both forward.
IRELAND
[The Future]
B.A. (ECS)
Primary
Degree
Masters
Degree
1
2
3
4
5
3 years
6
7
2 years
Slide 36


COMMENT ON SLIDE 36
Under the Bologna Agreement, which Ireland has signed up to, we will, according to
the “Economist”, have to restructure our degree programmes by 2015 so that
undergraduate degrees last for three years and masters degrees for two years. Under
this system I would see that the BA (ECS) would provide the foundation and that
specialised Masters Degrees would follow.
For example a 2 year Masters Degree could be:
1
3
5
7
Masters Degree
Primary Teaching
[Placement]
Masters Degree
Youth & Community Work
[Placement]
Masters Degree
Psychology
[Placement]
ETC.
2
Master Degree
Social Work
[Placement]
4
Masters Degree
Pre-Primary Educator
[Placement]
6
Slide 37
Masters Degree
After School Care
[Placement]




COMMENT ON SLIDE 37
Some of the Masters Degrees could be as follows. It is worth noting that in UCC we
already have in place the Master’s Degree in Social Work and the Master’s Degree in
Youth and Community Work and it would not be difficult to develop the remainder.
The demand for such courses can be easily seen from the graduate survey which I
mentioned earlier.
FINALLY!
If all Early Childhood workers had
Masters Degrees it would be difficult
for the Labour Court to argue that
they should be paid less than other
equally qualified professions.
This is the goal that we must work
towards.
Slide 38