// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Children with a parent on benefits no longer eligible for priority pre-school place
The education minister said many of his constituents - and politicians from other parties - have told him they believe the current preschool place allocation system is flawed
Most children with a parent on benefits will not be eligible for priority nursery places from next year under changes to the rules announced by Education Minister Paul Givan.
The minister said he believed the rules - known as Socially Disadvantaged Circumstances (SDC) criterion, external - were not "lawful" and were "discriminating against hard-working families".
He added that the move would "level the playing field" for pre-school admissions.
However, critics have said the rules made sure vulnerable children got "a foot up the ladder", while political representatives from Sinn Féin, Alliance and the SDLP questioned the plans at Stormont on Monday.
The Education Authority (EA) said "arrangements to implement the change will begin immediately".
Givan announced his department was to repeal the SDC criterion and was launching a consultation, external to gather views on whether new legislation was also needed.
The SDC criterion, first introduced in 1998, provides the basis for underprivileged families to get priority pre-school placements.
The criterion, external allows the children of parents in receipt of benefits - specifically Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit - to get priority for a pre-school place.
Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance, however, no longer exist and have been replaced by Universal Credit.