THE Minister for Education and Children has said he doesn't want the pre-school nursery closures to become a "political football".
Peter Karran MHK has said his department is "committed" to providing education for three to four year olds but that it had to be done in a different way.
Last week it was announced that the department would be stopping free government-run pre-school education as part of a cost saving exercise.
Pre-school education is currently only available to 50 to 60 per cent of children whose parents wish to receive it and has been criticised for being unfair as provision is not available Island wide.
To broaden this availability the department has taken the decision to transfer the provision of the education to private and voluntary providers of group care and education.
Mr Karran said: "I think that it's important that we got the message out there that we are committed to providing the provision for children as far as pre-education is concerned.
"We've now got to start looking at how we provide services in the most effective way without dropping standards.
"It's important to realise that in some of the real hot spot areas where there is most need there isn't any facility at all.
"I think it's important that if we haven't got the ability to be able to extend the service then it needs to be changed so that it can bring in some sort of universality as far the issues concerned.
"The reality is that we are going to find a far better way forward."
Stuart Dobson, the chief executive of the department, said that parents would receive financial support towards the new pre-education system.
He explained: "We have known for a long time that we had an issue to deal with in terms of nursery places being inequitable. We're very hopeful that what's coming out of this will be a very positive way forward.
"We're going to create a system whereby hopefully there will be enough provision on the Island for children.
"At the moment the finances of the Island are Treasury's business and we have to support Treasury in moving forward.
"What we propose at this point, and I'm sure this is what will go through, is that everybody will get something but there will be a weighting in there for families who would be eligible for free school meals – they will get considerably more."
The Council of Ministers has set up a working group – consisting of Peter Karran, Chris Robertshaw and Phil Gawne – which will finalise the department's plans as a "matter of urgency".
Mr Karran added: "The situation is that it's not a matter of it being a political football. As far as education is concerned, yes we would have liked to have more money. We haven't got the luxury of keeping things that aren't coming up with the goods.
"The fact is that what I've got to do is get on with the job of trying to be the Minister of an education department that has already taken severe cuts in the past and hasn't got the luxury of being able to throw money at projects in the future, which is going to be a very difficult learning curve for the whole of the new Council of Ministers – particularly the ones who have been in previous administrations."
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