Parents fury at nursery closure

31/07/2009

Nautical College plans to axe day care service for staff and students

Parents and students are furious at the decision to axe a lifeline nursery service at one of Glasgow’s busiest colleges.

Employees at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies are preparing to strike over the closure of the day nursery on Thistle Street, since 20 jobs are set to go.

Gordon and Diane Young are among the parents fighting to keep the place open for the 71 babies and young children who currently rely on its “outstanding” care.

“Parents are angry that all the options haven’t been considered,” Mr Young told The Big Issue. “It’s an outstanding nursery – it’s a great environment for kids and most parents would be happy to pay a bit more if required.”

The Youngs’ daughter Rhona, aged three, attends each day and baby Eilidh, four months old, was set to start in September. Although the main part of the nursery is not expected to close for another year, the Young family will be among those immediately affected by plans to shut the baby room – for kids under two – by the end of September.

“I think they’re taking the easy option and it’s all been very badly handled,” said Mr Young. “Some parents still haven’t been told about the baby room.”

Jim Snell, Glasgow officer of union UNISON, said members at the college had been balloted for a strike scheduled to begin next month.
“It’s a valued service and an important one to try to save. It’s one of the few colleges that has a nursery on-site and it’s vital for staff, students and the wider community.

“We’re trying to encourage more people to go back to college, particularly during a recession, so we want to make life easier, not more difficult, for people.”

Campaigners suspect the closure is part of plans to merge the Nautical College with Central and Metropolitan colleges under the overarching New Campus Glasgow scheme. College bosses said the nursery made a loss of around £75,000 last year and it was no longer viable to run it.

However, Nautical College principal Janet Okten assured parents some form of childcare provision would be available. “I must stress, the childcare needs of current and future students will continue to be met from the college childcare fund. This move will not result in students being unable to attend college because the funding for childcare places follows the child,” she said.

Okten added: “It was a financial decision to look at closing the nursery room for zero- to two-year-olds to try to bring the budget back on-track. In the longer term, in the New Campus Glasgow, no funding is available to build a new nursery.”