Parliament - Education Minister rejects criticism of daycare policy
In the state parliament 's budget debate, Saarland Education Minister Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD) rejected criticism of the state of daycare centers in the state. She reiterated the SPD all-party government's determination to completely abolish parental contributions for daycare by January 1, 2027. "We won't be changing this," she said in the state parliament plenary on Wednesday.
Previously, Jutta Schmitt-Lang, education policy spokesperson for the CDU parliamentary group, had complained about "massive quality deficits in daycare centers". There are districts in Saarland where more than 20 percent of children between the ages of three and six have no nursery school place. The childcare rate in Saarland is also below average in the under-three age group. "Families' legal entitlement to a nursery place exists on paper and too often fails in reality," she said. By 2025, there will be a shortage of 1600 specialists in this area alone.
More and more children and a growing shortage of skilled workers should prompt the government to "either make savings in other policy areas or extend the timetable for making childcare free". Schmitt-Lang also criticized the fact that the government had discontinued the "Early German Learning" language support programme for primary school children.
The Education Minister rejected this: "We have changed the system. We have not made it worse. We have not cut a single position." Rather, the state government's strategy is to facilitate access to daycare centers. "Early language support in daycare centers is exactly the right way to go." She added: "Of course I'm not happy if parents can't find a place in a daycare center."
She pointed out that around 17 million euros are to be invested in the expansion of daycare and after-school places in each of the next two years. Since April 2022, 400 additional daycare specialists have been recognized. Over the past ten years, 10,000 new daycare places have been created in Saarland.
Streichert-Clivot said that more than 300 construction measures are planned for daycare centers in the coming year. The school building program provides for expenditure of 205 million euros. The education budget will also be the state's largest single budget in the next two years, at a good 1.2 and 1.4 billion euros respectively.
Agenda for the 2024/2025 budget
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- In response to criticisms from the CDU in the budget debate held at the State Parliament in Saarbrücken, Saarland's Education Minister, Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD), emphasized their commitment to eliminating parental contributions for daycare by January 1, 2027.
- During the same budget debate, CDU's education policy spokesperson, Jutta Schmitt-Lang, argued that there are significant quality issues in daycare centers in Saarland, with many children in certain districts lacking nursery school places.
- To address the growing demand for daycare centers due to an increasing number of children and a shortage of skilled workers, Schmitt-Lang suggested the government consider making savings in other policy areas or extending the timeline for making childcare free.
- Contrasting Schmitt-Lang's views, the Education Minister maintained that the state government has improved the daycare system in Saarland, investing over 17 million euros annually in expanding daycare and after-school places, and recognizing 400 additional daycare specialists since April 2022.
Source: www.stern.de
