A proposed childcare policy amendment that would allow private preschools to use vacant government properties provoked furious opposition from activists.
Led by the Childcare Policy Alliance, a coalition of civic groups yesterday voiced their opposition to a proposed amendment to Article 9 of the Early Childhood Education and Care Act (幼兒教育及照顧法), saying that the move would jeopardize efforts to increase public childcare facilities in the nation.
A draft version of the amendment is set to be finalized at the Executive Yuan in Taipei today, before undergoing review at the legislature.
Photo: CNA
Minister Without Portfolio Joyce Feng (馮燕) on Sunday told the Chinese-language United Daily News that the amendment would work to establish “joint, public-private preschools” by offering vacant government buildings or land to private organizations.
“Joint public-private preschools would still be private preschools in effect, but implemented in a novel way,” Feng was quoted as saying in the newspaper report, adding that the new policy would provide an incentive to increase the nation’s childcare facilities through lower operational costs.
Childcare policy reform activists panned Feng’s statements, saying that the amendment would only serve to channel public resources into the hands of private for-profit preschools.
In comparison with public childcare facilities, private preschools charge high tuition fees, while offering low wages and “abysmal” work conditions to their employees, the alliance said.
Alliance convener Liu Yu-hsiu (劉毓秀) said the proposed amendment ran contrary to recent government efforts to increase not-for-profit childcare facilities, which Liu said are increasingly important in light of the nation’s low birth rate.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Education last year, private facilities account for 70 percent of the nation’s preschools, due to insufficient state funding for early education.
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