EARLY YEARS CONSULTATION MUST HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR QUALIFIED TEACHERS

The UTU, Northern Ireland’s only locally-based teaching union, believes the consultation launched today (FRIDAY SEPT 17) into early years education will highlight the need for qualified professionals to take the lead.

A series of public consultations will take place over the next few weeks around Northern Ireland inviting responses to the draft Early Years (0-6) Strategy document.

“While elements of the overall provision for pre-school education are acceptable, too many children commence their pre-school year with difficulties in aspects of their learning and development. As a consequence many of these children fall further behind and require additional support,” said Avril Hall Callaghan, General Secretary of the UTU.
“There is general agreement that early exposure to books helps children develop an interest in literature and reading. Many would argue that the first two years of a baby's learning are crucial with experts telling us that 75% of brain development occurs between birth and the age of two.
“But it is imperative that children’s education before Year One is handled by qualified teachers as this is such a vital time for a child’s learning development and such a specialised area in teaching.

“The profession must guard against this pre-school provision being undertaken by under-qualified personnel. We believe the needs of younger pupils are best met by qualified teachers who can identify potential problems in language development and other learning difficulties at an early stage.”