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BOE backs moves to mandate kindergarten
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Posted on May 14 1999
The Board of Education will lend support to a legislative initiative that would seek to amend the CNMI Constitution to make the free education available even to five-year-old children in order to ensure the continuity of the kindergarten program.
In yesterday’s meeting, board members gave their nod to a proposal supporting a legislation that is being prepared by Rep. Malua Peters to amend the Constitution.
The existing mandate covers only children from 6 to 16 years old, which opens the kindergarten program in jeopardy during times of budgetary constraints.
“We cannot compromise education with funding and I ask the support of my colleagues,” said board member Thomas Pangelinan. His committee on curriculum and instruction earlier adopted the vote to support the age amendment for free education.
Commissioner of Education Rita H. Inos earlier advised school principals to delay the registration for early childhood until such time that the Public School System is certain that there would be enough funding and teaching personnel.
Inos wanted to make sure that PSS complies with the mandated age, which technically starts in grade one and not with the early childhood program.
In her meeting with the PTA Council and teachers, she said amending the mandated age will force the issue of the kindergarten. Parents present during the forum said they would back the amendment.
“The community should know that PSS cannot exist with its current budget,” said board member Marja Lee Taitano, after she voted in favor of the legislative initiative.
Maintaining the kindergarten program means $800,000 in local funding to cover personnel costs and another $200,000 for the free transportation of these young students.
In the same meeting, the board adopted the proposal to open the registration for kindergarten this coming school year. Currently, the PSS counts 600 kindergarten children at 11 campuses in the CNMI.
