PRIVATE sector companies need to contribute more to the development of professionals in the early childhood education sector, according to University of the West Indies (UWI) lecturer, Dr Rose Davies.

Davies, a lecturer in early childhood education and coordinator for UWI, Mona’s Master of Education in Leadership in Early Childhood Development (MELECD) programme, noted that despite comments in support of early childhood education, big businesses have failed to provide sponsorship for training of professionals in the sector.

“We wrote to a whole heap of private sector companies and a number of private foundations (seeking scholarships) and just didn’t get any positive response,” Davies told the Sunday Observer of their bid to gain scholarships for some of the programme’s students. “They don’t give us any reason, they just say ‘not at this time'”.

The early childhood education specialist wishes the support for the sector could be in more than just words.

“We would like it to be less talk and more action. Everyone has been saying recently ‘yes early childhood education is important’, but the fact is we are not going to have a quality early childhood service unless we have quality leaders,” she said.

Davies added that while there have been gains in recent years in the training of teachers, there was a big gap in terms of quality leadership.

“Even if 10 businesses give one scholarship each, that will help 10 students and all of Jamaica will benefit. The development of leadership in the sector is important. It’s not just about building basic schools, providing some toys and paying a teacher,” she quipped.

Davies was speaking with the Sunday Observer following a ceremony at the Mona campus last Friday to award scholarships to 10 students in the MELECD programme. The scholarships were awarded by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sport, and Education (CHASE) Fund.

“When CHASE said they would give all 10 (scholarships), we very delighted,” noted Davies said.

The recipients are all Jamaicans already working in the early childhood sector. They included senior teachers, basic school principals, and resource centre managers and administrators of the Early Childhood Commission.

The 10 scholarships will be “stretched” over two cohorts, meaning the recipients will each receive $3,500, which is half of the tuition fee of $7,000. Another 10 recipients will be awarded in the next cohort.

MELECD was started in 2004 with 24 students, and so far 15 have completed their masters degree. It is a part-time degree using a combination of on-line and face-to-face course delivery.

Speaking at the ceremony, chief executive officer of the CHASE Fund W Billy Heaven underscored the fund’s commitment to early childhood development.

Meanwhile, he noted that since its inception in 2003, the CHASE Fund had approved 337 early childhood development projects at a cost of $843 million. He said this included more than $250 million spent in a project on schedule to train more than 5000 early childhood practitioners through the HEART Trust/NTA up to Level 2.