Peter Karran
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There are no plans to return to state-run pre-school provision in the island, Education Minister Alex Allinson says.
Teacher-led pre-school provision, funded by the government and provided at 11 primary schools, was scrapped in 2012 by the then Education Minister Peter Karran, leaving parents to find places only in the private sector.
A voucher system was introduced to help with the costs.
In 2018, Dr Allinson’s predecessor Graham Cregeen told a select committee that the changes made under Mr Karran were ’rushed and ill-thought-out’.
But, in Tynwald last week, Dr Allinson said: ’Regarding going back to the situation beforehand, where pre-school care was provided by the state sector through our existing schools, there is no current plan to revert back to that, particularly given the fact that in the intervening years we have had the development of a private sector on the island.’