If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’ve had more than one of those conversations where your child comes up with all of these wonderful plans for the family.
“Great idea, but how’s it going to work?”
Shrug.
“And how are we going to pay for it?”
Shrug.
That’s kids for you. Naturally creative and completely unbound by the realities of life. So sad that they have to grow up.
Well, here’s some good news.
They don’t have to grow up. They can just get a job with our wonderful Education Department and carry on making plans without worrying about implementation.
The latest wonder plan is, like a child’s scheme, based on an excellent idea.
All of the studies show that it makes sense to have Nursery Education in Guernsey. So much sense that we actually already have a huge amount of such education already taking place here; just not under the auspices of our Education Department.
Now they want to get involved.
They’re not sure exactly how just yet and they’re not sure who’s going to pay for it but they want it and
“It’s a really really good idea Mum!”
It is a good idea, and it does make sense for Education to have some say and monitor the standards of Nursery Education in Guernsey but that doesn’t mean having to pay for it.
We hope that Environment monitor the state of restaurants over here but we don’t expect them to pick up the bill when we go out for a meal.
If Education want to improve the standard of Nursery Education then introduce a system of monitoring and some form of quality control. Maybe even copy Environment and have a five star system with a name and shame campaign.
It’s not difficult.
Lots of people already pay for Nursery Education because both parents work. Some work to make ends meet but a lot do so to support their lifestyle. The big house, the lovely holidays abroad, and the two big cars so necessary for family life on this Island.
Do such people need help to pay nursery bills?
Education seems to think so.
They also seem to think that it will be too expensive to means test this new provision and anyway, we don’t want to exclude anyone on the borderline if we do have any financial limit.
So, because we can’t be bothered to think of a way to make it work sensibly, we want to introduce it anyway and work out the details later when we realise what everyone else already knows. It’s going to cost too much and we can’t afford it.
Sorry, but this isn’t good enough.
If it’s worth doing then it’s worth doing well.
Go back and work it out properly.
Work out the details and most importantly of all, work out where the money is coming from and then bring it forward to the States for sensible debate.
As it stands we’re back to mere childish imaginings.
“It’s a great idea Dad. Can we do it please?”
Perhaps they hope that as it’s such a great idea, someone else will decide to pay for it.
Maybe I can help our States out here.
Let Education get involved with quality control but leave the payment of benefits to those who know how to do it properly.
Our Social Security department must already have a system for checking the income of those applying for benefits; presumably through some link to States Tax Office.
Means test Child Allowance and set the limit appropriately. If you qualify for Child Allowance then you also qualify for help with nursery costs and will get a voucher with your name and address on it which you can redeem at the nursery of your choice.
That way, both benefits are targeted at those who need the help and we don’t have to subsidise Jemima’s four by four.
It’s called joined up government.
I recommend it.
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