Does Labour know what it is proposing?

Carmelo Abela, Labour's spokesman on education, is in serious need of understanding facts before making statements such as those made in The Times of February 6.

When Labour's proposals are criticised, and solid arguments are placed to show how much little thought has gone into putting forward such proposals, Labour retreat and chant the usual rigmarole that the government is misinterpreting and twisting facts. The truth of the matter is that Labour has so little experience about what actually goes on in schools, and about the administration of a school and a national educational system, that its proposals are often half-baked, divorced from reality or just not doable!

Stick in another year, they tell us, and that will solve all educational problems! How naïve!

The concept of transition is not dealt with by adding on another school year. This important transition, that needs to be smooth for the well-being of all children, needs to be achieved by well-planned curricular and pedagogical implementation and regular review. The concept of reception and transition simply does not need an additional year of schooling.

Mr Abela goes on to state that children as young as two years six months are being admitted to kindergarten. May we suggest that he read the government-MUT agreement once again to find that in fact children in state schools can enter only at age two years nine months so children who used to start in April, now do so in February.

Mr Abela also states that "children... in Kinder 1 are admitted in three different intakes". Wrong again Mr Abela, there are only two intakes, October and February.

Mr Abela states that not all children take the full two years of kinder as those admitted in February get one academic year and one term of kinder. Wrong again. These children in fact spend more time than their counterparts in kinder before starting compulsory education. If Mr Abela's reasoning was correct, a child who enters in February at age two years nine months would enter formal schooling at age four years four months! Does he know that the Education Act states that a child has to be five before he or she starts formal schooling?

Mr Abela speaks about the Tymms study. In a nutshell this study states that early childhood education (ECE) needs to be given the utmost importance as it is the foundation stone of any child's educational experience. Isn't early childhood high on the ministry's agenda? The Sollars report was published in 2006 and gave an in-depth analysis of this crucial stage in education and the reports' recommendations have been taken on board.

The agreement with MUT dedicates a whole section to ECE putting forward that by 2010 all kindergarten assistants must have a diploma in ECE and by 2015, all newly employed recruits in this sector have to be honours graduates of education. This agreement also stipulates that all senior management staff have to have experience in managing the kindergarten sector. Technology must also enter our kindergarten classes with the introduction of PCs. The recently announced National Curriculum review will also be looking in great detail at educational programmes in the early years, so as to ensure smooth transitions and the best opportunity possible for quality education for all.

A lot has been achieved, a lot still needs to be achieved. The question at this point is which party has the requisite vision, competence, track record and experience to get there? Whoever wants to gamble our children's future should vote Labour. They've experimented with our education system already - they intend to do it again.