Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their excellent presentations. We have reached a crossroads now, and I have said that previously here. Are we going to rush something through and try to please everyone or are we going to put the basic steps in place? We have been throwing money at this sector. A total of €1.13 billion has been spent in the sector in the period from 2000 to 2010. In this context, we need to examine is it education or is it child care? What are we talking about? I would like to ask Dr. Mary Moloney about this. I think we have it all mixed up, that child care is regarded by some as childhood education and a delivery of a proper education to little children. We all know, and I know this as an ex-school principal, that within three weeks of little children coming into junior infants class, one can nearly write their CV. It is extremely important that we get it right and it is not just a matter of putting something in to try to please a group of people.

I am extremely worried about the education level of the people who are delivering education to preschool children. It is so important.

I would like to see staff who are qualified up to level 7, 8 or 9 and with an expertise in early childhood education.

I thank Dr. Moloney for her superb presentation. Why are there 27 ECCE courses rather than just one or two, as is the case with primary and secondary teacher education? I am very aware of what is going on at St. Nicholas Montessori College in Dún Laoghaire and how many of its graduates come through with a primary degree only to leave early childhood education after a year or two to try to get into primary teaching. That is happening because early childhood education does not offer a sustainable career. Part of the problem is that we are mixing up child care and early childhood education. Why is child care in Ireland more expensive than anywhere else in Europe but the staff working in the sector here are among the lowest paid in the country? Where is all the money going that is generated from fees?

We need to work together to give these matters proper consideration and find solutions. The sector will not be fixed simply by flinging money at it. This issue is too important to take a political bandwagon approach with an eye to getting through the election. We did not have the money to invest in the sector in the past four years. Anybody who thinks we should have done in any case need only look to Greece to see what can happen in such cases. However, the country has been turned around since this Government came to office and now is the time to do what is necessary to do. I urge Dr. Moloney to continue shouting that message from the mountain tops.