Opinion: A public system may be complex to achieve, but it is necessary if we want a society that takes shared responsibility for all children
It shall be the first duty of the Government of the Republic to make provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children, to secure that no child shall suffer hunger or cold from lack of food, clothing, or shelter, but that all shall be provided with the means and facilities requisite for their proper education and training as Citizens of a Free and Gaelic Ireland.
How close has Ireland come to fulfilling her 'first duty’ to her children? Considering Ireland's performance against a whole range of indicators, beginning with homelessness, child poverty, mental and physical health and well-being, and extending to access to affordable early childhood education and care for all, I leave it to you to judge that one.
The words above were proclaimed in the Democratic Programme of the first Dáil Éireann in 1919. As we approach the general election to the 34th Dail, they should inspire us to reclaim the radical ambition to make early childhood education and care a public concern, a res publica, placed at the very core of what it means to be an independent, democratic republic.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday wirth Colm Ó Mongáin, a look at what the parties are promising for special education and childcare in Election 24
One could get the impression that we have come closer to realising this ambitious goal. While previously largely absent from the policy debate, the term ‘public’ now has a firm place in election manifestos across the entire political spectrum in connection with commitments to children and families. It seems the dysfunctions of our fragmented response to the rights and needs of all children, their families and modern Irish society can no longer be ignored.
The recognition of public responsibility for the education and care of the youngest children brings Ireland broadly in line with global developments. International actors including UNESCO are affirming education as a universal right beginning from birth–requiring well-educated, well-recognised and well-paid educators and sustainable public funding. Three pillars – right to early childhood education, workforce and finance – are inseparable parts.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, The Irish Times' Harry McGee on how childcare is set to be a major issue in this election
But it is necessary to be clearer in our debate about what exactly public might mean in the Irish context. While increasingly embraced, there remains a lot of confusion in the debate. Let me offer some pointers.
Public and not just publicly funded
There is a fundamental difference between a publicly funded and a public system. All governments are obliged to provide adequate public resources for education. Whether or not they meet that obligation is another question (albeit an important one).
A truly public system requires active government involvement in all aspects of the system, including service delivery, planning, regulation, monitoring and evaluation. It includes the state taking responsibility as employer of educators. While children, families, and educators are entitled to sustainable funding, there can be no place for profit in a public system (profit meaning public funds extracted from the system for personal, corporate, or shareholder gain).
Strong local democracy and decision-making powers
Ireland has one of the weakest systems of local government, with many decision-making powers centralised in national government departments. This is a colonial legacy that Ireland shares with other former British colonies. Colonial rule depends on strong central and weak local power. It rests on distrust of the locals, on the dismissal of their expertise and capability to govern themselves, to be governed by centrally appointed magistrates instead. None of this is specific to early childhood.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday wirth Colm Ó Mongáin, is Ireland's child protection system under too much pressure?
However, a transition to a public system of early childhood education and care requires building structures that enable local governance of early childhood provision, including planning, resourcing, administering, evaluating. The task at hand is to envisage, build, resource, and qualify the entire system.
More than education and care for children and families in local community
The key characteristic of early childhood provision in Ireland is that services are often small, and close to the community they serve. Individually managed, it leaves services overburdened with administrative tasks. A public system can turn this into an advantage and introduce local-level bundled administration, reporting, management etc.
A public system requires expression of political will, political leadership, a roadmap, milestones and accountability. This includes a commitment to a transition to a universal, rights-based, free and public early childhood education and care system in the next programme for government. This should include the establishment of a Minister of State for Early Childhood Education and Care, complemented with significantly strengthened local ECEC governance.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, 900 children left without a care place as 28 creches to close
We need to see the phase-out of any for-profit provision (see definition of ‘profit’ above) over a five-year period, complemented by significantly increased funding, and a fully funded programme to prevent buyout of independent services by corporate or chain providers. Any service considering closing must be offered to transition into public ownership.
This will be a complex task, as it will require to sort out investment and property issues. Does such a programme stand a chance of realisation? I am convinced it does because it will enable us to show who we are, and aspire to be, as a society that takes shared responsibility for all children.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
