Does the proposal for a new law threaten the existence of private kindergartens?
The Ministry of Education has published a proposal for amendments to the Kindergarten Act, and the submission of comments is concluded today. The Association of Private Kindergartens of Slovenia strongly opposes the proposed changes. They believe that they would seriously threaten the existence of private kindergartens and the right of parents to choose pre -school education for their children. They are critical of the restriction of the awarding of concessions, the abolition of financing private kindergartens, and provisions that would further burden the already overwhelmed educators.
One of the most controversial provisions is to limit the granting of concessions to private kindergartens in cases where the number of children is reduced in the municipality, which leads to a smaller number of departments in public kindergartens. The association points out that such a measure deprives municipalities autonomy and prevents them from granting concessions where a private kindergarten would be needed. « Such cases already exist, but now they would be completely disabled by the new law, » the association emphasized, adding that there is no sufficient justification for this measure.
They are critical of the abolition of financing private kindergartens, as this means that many parents will no longer be able to afford them. Photo: Jure Eržen/Work
Private kindergartens are also critical of the fact that they are still not allowed to implement shorter programs for children from the age of five, despite having the right spatial and human resources conditions. The ministry is urging the ministry to amend Article 3 of the proposal and provide private kindergartens the same conditions as public.
Oppose the elevated norm
They also oppose the elevated norm (+2), which was introduced as a temporary solution due to lack of vacancies in kindergartens, but now, despite improving the situation, is still in force. “The norm has been introduced because of spatial distress, but today it is no longer a problem. Quality work in groups is increasingly difficult, children have more and more individual needs, and staff are leaving their profession because of overload, « the association warns.
However, they are most strongly opposed to the complete termination of financing private kindergartens, as specified in Article 34 of the existing law. According to now, private kindergartens could only be funded by municipalities through concessions, which would mean that new private kindergartens would no longer be established. “This means a grave interference with the parents’ right to choose a kindergarten for their children. Financing should be the same for all children, as the constitution stipulates that they are the same before the law, « the association emphasizes, demanding that private kindergarten financing be maintained and even raised to 100 percent of the public price.
The Association of Private kindergartens points out that changes to the law threaten the existence of private kindergartens and limit the parents’ right to choose from. Photo: Uroš Hocevar
The Association of Private Kindergartens also prepared an analytite, which notes that the City of Ljubljana (MOL) spends the largest share of pre -school education funds (89.9 % of total costs without investment). Private kindergartens receive a much smaller proportion (2.8 %), and MOL also funds additional discounts for Ljubljana children in public kindergartens and children attending kindergartens outside the MOL.
The key finding is that the cost of the municipality per child in a private kindergarten is significantly lower (2,704.27 euros a year) than in a public kindergarten (5,175.07 euros a year), which means that the municipality pays only 46 percent of the child in a private kindergarten what would otherwise pay for a public kindergarten.
The association also points out the ambiguities in the transitional financing of private kindergartens. The proposal stipulates that the financing of private kindergartens would be based on the contracts they have with the municipalities on the day of entry into force of the law. In their opinion, this would lead to many complications, as the number of children in kindergartens is changing every year and contracts are limited in time. « Such arrangements are in practice impracticable and would cause a lot of uncertainty for parents and kindergartens, » they warn.
The Association of Private kindergartens points out that private kindergartens in Slovenia represent only 5 percent of all kindergartens, which is well below the European average and does not threaten public networks. Nevertheless, the proposed changes make it difficult to function, which would lead to their gradual abolition over time. They suggest that the financing of children in private kindergartens be equated with financing children in public kindergartens and to maintain their choice for parents. “We should not look at pre -school education only through an economic prism. In the first place, the child and his greatest benefit should be, « the association concludes.
