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Daycare merger plan draws fire

The Ministry of Education’s (MOE) announcement yesterday that it would merge the daycare center and kindergarten systems into one unit called “preschool” was not well received at the legislature yesterday.

The MOE said the rationale behind the merger was to help avoid overlapping services.

Under the new structure, after-school programs for elementary-school-aged children and nursery centers for toddlers under two years of age would be moved under the jurisdiction of the MOE from the Ministry of Interior, said MOE Deputy Minister Wu Chai-Hsun (吳財順) in his report to the Education and Cultural Committee in the Legislative Yuan.

Most preschool-aged children are either enrolled in kindergartens or daycare centers. However, there is a great deal of overlap between the two systems because kindergartens are allowed to accept children from ages four to six, while preschools accept all children under age six, Wu said.

He stressed that the new preschools, part of an “all-in-one service system,” would also provide parents with added convenience, especially if the family has several children under the age of six.

He pointed out that under the present system, there are no uniform standards for teacher qualifications or recruitment. There is also no standard for class size or facility management.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Cheng-er (林正二) questioned the protection of teacher benefits under the new system.

He pointed out that the benefits for daycare center staff are traditionally less comprehensive than those for certified teachers.

KMT Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) accused the MOE of biting off more than it could chew.

Lee said the ministry should first concentrate on the daycare center and kindergarten merger before taking on elementary school programs.
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