Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have serious concerns about the level of joined-up thinking on education between the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, in terms of preschool services, and the Minister's Department in overseeing children up to the age of six in junior and higher infants. We must see much greater co-ordination in that regard because the Aistear curriculum has to be supported in preschools and it is the responsibility of the Department, as the Department of Education and Skills, to ensure that the educational curriculum is happening and being supported in the preschool year.

The preschool sector is quite young, so to speak. My party introduced the first preschool year and there has been much talk about the Government extending it to a second year. The current preschool year must be supported and key to that is the Minister's Department working closely to ensure it provides supports not only at infant and senior infant level in primary school but also at preschool level, which has been neglected to a large extent.

Preschool services have not got the support to implement this curriculum. Will the Minister engage and look at the way it is being done by his Department and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs?

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