One step before the suspension of their operation or even their closure are some private kindergartens, which are unable to cope with their obligations as they are not viable, as a result of changes in the legislation that were made last year and which also concern the limit of compulsory education of children.
The Education Committee of the Parliament discussed this issue today, agreeing that support incentives should also be given to private kindergartens, as given in the corresponding cases of private schools and universities, in an effort not to lead these small and medium-sized enterprises, which employ many people, to closure.
On behalf of the Association representing private kindergartens, Polyvios Polyviou referred to three issues that cause problems in their operation.
The first concerns the flow of children from private kindergartens to public ones as the limit of compulsory attendance is lowered. The result is that children attend Pre-Primary schools in public schools and not private ones. As Mr. Polyviou said, private kindergartens with children only aged 0-3 are not viable. He also pointed out that if private kindergartens are allowed to close, then even greater problems will be created as these ages of children will not be covered. For this point, it was requested that there be a subsidy for children aged 4 and over and for their attendance at Pre-Primary private kindergartens.
The second point raised by Mr. Polyviou is the lack of staff as well as the lack of interest in studying in pre-primary education. He also mentioned that public schools (due to the institution of All-Day Schools, etc.) "steal" staff from private kindergartens, in contrast to those who are not allowed to hire a teacher for their Pre-Primary School. He noted that a kindergarten teacher can replace a teacher up to the third grade of elementary school.
The third point that worries the side of private kindergartens is the much stricter – as they said – compliance with the legislation in their own case, compared to the legislation governing public kindergartens. It is noted that the representative of the Ministry of Education disagreed on this point, noting that in both cases the same legislation applies.
In the context of the discussion, DIKO MP, Chrysanthos Savvidis, also complained that a number of private kindergartens, which initially participated in the government tuition grant program, chose to leave without informing parents in time. As a result, they were informed in September, they could not find places in other kindergartens and were forced to leave their children in the same schools, paying increased tuition fees.
