If Malta decided to call its kindergartens childcare centres, the statistics on such places would instantly shoot up because here, kindergartens catered for three-year-olds whereas abroad they started from age five, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi argued yesterday.
Dr Gonzi was dismissing claims that, when compared to other countries, Malta had no childcare centres.
A European Commission report said Malta is one of the worst performers in the EU when it comes to the provision of childcare facilities for pre-school-aged children, adding that this is probably one of the main reasons why Malta has the highest percentage in Europe of women staying at home, instead of taking full part in the labour market.
It did not mean Malta has solved its problem of childcare facilities but the issue lies in the fact that kindergarten hours do not coincide with the working schedules of parents, Dr Gonzi said. Their flexibility, therefore, needs to be studied and improved, he said, adding that when such changes are made, Malta would have a system that was as good as any other.
He insisted that the government is all for childcare centres and is using EU funding to set up the required support, adding that he would even consider childcare centres to cater for parents who work at night as the need had recently been suggested to him by a nurse.
Dr Gonzi was addressing a conference on family-friendly measures, organised by the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin in collaboration with the Management and Personnel Office of the Office of the Prime Minister, an initiative he described as "innovative".
He said the government considers the issue to be "fundamental" and the "substance of all political activity".
Turning to women's participation rate in the labour market, he said those aged between 15 and 25 have surpassed the EU average by eight per cent - 48.4 per cent as opposed to 40.
Dr Gonzi said that 60 per cent of University graduates over the last four years were female, meaning the participation rate would continue to increase due to the high number of those who pursue their studies.
In the present "frightening" international context, Dr Gonzi said it has become more important than ever to adhere to family-friendly policies and to do everything possible to safeguard jobs and help employees cope with their responsibilities. The country cannot afford to lose a single human resource, he said.