Opponents of full-time pre-primary are discriminatory

Opponents of voluntary full-time pre-primary for five-year-olds were discriminating against Government school children, Education Minister Kay Hallahan said today.

Mrs Hallahan said it was unfair that parents who could afford to send their children to private schools had the choice of a full-time program but Government schools did not offer the same choice.

"The National Party and independent MP Liz Constable are guilty of double standards in opposing the voluntary full-time program at Government schools when the choice is available at Catholic and private schools," she said.

"They have one standard for the rich and another standard for the rest of us.

"The Catholic school system has been offering the full-time pre-primary program for five years and more than 100 schools are involved.

"Why should parents of children in Government schools be denied the same choice?"

Mrs Hallahan said many parents and early childhood educators recognised that a full-time program allowed learning activities to have more depth so that five-year-olds were better prepared for the formal years of schooling.