25 September 2024 – The Hindu

How can we revamp the early childhood education

• For many years, there has been a lack of research and investment in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in India, despite the obvious belief that children in the country should receive financial support given its emphasis on employment, education, and demographic dividend.
• ECCE is frequently restricted to the home sphere, possibly as a result of its historical association with women. The government’s growing emphasis on women-driven development has led to a recognition of care work and early childhood education as essential components of nation-building.

 What is the ECCE’s current state?

 Free and Mandatory Instruction:

• Under Article 45 of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), the Constitution establishes the following provisions: “The state shall endeavour to provide for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution.”
• The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) has improved.
• The basic case for more funding for early childhood education and care is that people are a country’s most valuable resource, and early childhood development is the foundation of every human being. The Indian progressive state has gradually but steadily supported and nurtured parents’ dreams of education, aiming for first access and surpassing 100% GER at the primary level.
• Problems with Learning Objectives:
• Measuring learning outcomes has received more attention in recent years. The data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) 75th Round, the NCERT (National Achievement Survey, 2023) learning outcomes study, and the ASER Report 2023 demonstrate that children in India are not learning at the primary stage and are having difficulty keeping up with the curriculum as they advance to higher levels.

Improved Attention for Kids Under Six: 

• The National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat Mission for foundational literacy and numeracy, and the programme Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi to improve ECCE quality through the Anganwadi system are examples of the significant strides the government has made in focusing on children under the age of six.

Padhai Bhi and Poshan Bhi:

• encouraging early stimulation in the first thousand days of life and helping youngsters in the 3–6 age range participate in ECCE.
• giving Anganwadi staff a basic understanding of ECCE courses and instructional methodologies in order to improve their capacities. This allows them to provide excellent play-based early childhood education at the community level.
• In India, anganwadis are a particular kind of rural nursery facility. It was started as a component of the programme known as Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
• to make it possible for Anganwadi Workers to concentrate on the areas of development—cognitive, socio-emotional-ethical, physical and motor, cultural/artistic, and FLN development—as well as the associated assessments.
• To strengthen the knowledge of nutrition among Anganwadi workers regarding micronutrient shortages, feeding techniques, Poshan 2.0 and Saksham Anganwadi, innovations in Poshan, Poshan Tracker, etc.

Financial Allocutions:

• It is positive that the interim Budget 2024 promises to accelerate Saksham Anganwadi upgrades and offer Ayushman Bharat services to Anganwadi personnel, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), and helpers.
• The amount spent on educational resources more than tripled in 2023, from roughly Rs 140 crore to Rs 420 crore annually, assuming that there are 14 lakh Anganwadi centres that serve the eight crore poorest children in India under the age of six.
• Variations in Fund Distributions in Relation to Higher Education
• Rs 5.01 lakh crore is the budgeted amount for 2024–25 for centrally sponsored programmes, which make up a sizable portion of fiscal transfers between the Centre and the States. Of this, the Anganwadi system receives approximately Rs 21,200 crore, higher than irrigation (Rs 11,391 crore) and rural roads (Rs 12,000 crore).
• However, the National Health Mission (Rs 38,183 crore) and the National Education Mission (Rs 37,500 crore) are greater than this. With four crore students enrolled, the Department of Higher Education receives about Rs 47,619 crore. These students surely come from the wealthier segments of Indian society.

What Kinds of Obstacles Does ECCE Face in India?

 Cost-effectiveness:

• Recent studies show that sending a child to a private school in India for their whole education—from age three to age seventeen—could cost an astounding Rs 30 lakh. In India, the expense of early childcare can sometimes account for 20–30% of total costs. Investments in ECCE are hampered by the financial weight of these costs.
• According to the 75th Round report of the NSSO, almost 37 million children do not have access to any kind of early education service, whether it be provided by the public or private sector.

Availability:

• Due to things like location or customary childrearing techniques, not all families can always access traditional early learning formats like preschools and childcare. India also requires more qualified early childhood educators as well as necessary infrastructure.

 Accessible:

• Even though the Indian government has increased its funding for early childhood education (ECCE), notably by building digital labs and infrastructure, the problems still exist. The nation’s ECCE is characterised by fragmentation, regulatory loopholes, and the need for focused activities, which highlight areas that should be improved.

Low level of parental involvement: 

• Being a kid’s first teachers, parents can assist their child in learning in a variety of ways, such as by teaching them to read, write, and count. By spending time with them at home or in the community, they can also aid in the development of their social skills.
• But getting active in their kids’ education can be difficult for them sometimes due to things like tight work schedules, limited time off, poor literacy, and not knowing where to look or how to look for information about early childhood education programmes.

Gaps in the 2009 Right to Education Act (RTE): 

• The right to elementary education was elevated to a fundamental right in Article 21(A) of the 2002 86th Constitutional Amendment Act. The purpose of this amendment was to give children between the ages of six and fourteen free and mandatory education.
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act), passed in 2009 and going into force in 2010, provided more support for it.
• Nevertheless, this Act did not include enough provisions for early childhood care and education for kids up to age six, as well as core literacy and numeracy skills.

Minimal Public Investment: 

• India is a signatory to the Incheon Declaration, which calls for member nations to devote 4-6% of their GDP to education in order to meet SDG-4, or quality education.
• However, compared to the global average of 4.7%, the Union Budget 2024 budget only allots only 2.9% of the GDP to education.

What Recommendations Are There for ECCE Reform?

 Making Use of Digital Penetration:

• Provides Interesting and Age-Rappropriate Content: Smartphones and internet access are becoming more and more common. Digital learning platforms are becoming more and more dynamic tools designed with early learners in mind.
• These apps guarantee that young minds have an excellent educational experience by providing interesting and age-appropriate content.
• The ability to transmit instructional content directly to parents and carers is made possible by this connectedness, which improves their ability to participate in their children’s early learning journey.
• Encourages Inclusivity and Accessibility: These platforms influence how kids start their educational journeys by providing them with engaging images, interactive activities, and specialised curriculum.
• Children and qualified educators from all over the world can access the cost-effective and easily accessible learning modules provided by digitization.
• Their introduction breaks down physical boundaries and reaches a greater spectrum of kids and teachers, making high-quality early learning education more inclusive.

Closing the Gaps in Infrastructure:

• This means that in addition to making the necessary infrastructural investments, comprehensive teacher training programmes and career advancement initiatives must be launched through recognised institutions.
• ECE would also gain a great deal from the development of specialised labs, cutting-edge learning centres, play areas, digital resources, and creative early learning tools.
• extending early childhood education programmes to meet India’s population growth while putting in place organised curricula, qualified teachers, and distinct learning goals. These fundamental components are essential to addressing the current limitations.

Acknowledging Variations in Methods: 

• Early childhood education is adaptable, taking into account different family needs and preferences. It covers a wide range of scenarios, from parents taking care of their children and teaching them at home to using official or informal gamified learning techniques.
• Larger preschool facilities are also essential for offering organised learning opportunities. It is essential to acknowledge this range of methods in order to provide a thorough and inclusive framework for early childhood education and care.

Investment Requirements: 

• Investments in Anganwadi Centres: New studies offer more justification for the federal government and the states to increase funding and allocation.
• Using current survey data, quasi-experimental effect evaluations have demonstrated that children attending Anganwadi programmes have improved cognitive and motor skills compared to other children, with a particular focus on narrowing disparities associated to gender and income.
• A 2020 study found that kids who are exposed to the Anganwadi system between the ages of 0 and 3 finish 0.1–0.3 more school grades.

To fortify the ECCE system: 

• Matching the micro to the macro, the numbers in paise to the quantities in lakh and crore, is vital to decide what to spend on in terms of infrastructure, capacity building, materials, and manpower.
• It is necessary to estimate the potential GDP gains from the individual benefits of good early childhood education and care (ECCE), which have been shown to improve women’s physical and mental health, lifespan, public health spending, children’s educational attainment, and even social unrest.
• Stronger socio-emotional abilities developed early may even help avoid later student suicides. Heckman, the Nobel laureate, showed in his Perry Preschool study that children who got high quality early childhood education and care matured into less violent adults.

Research in ECCE is Needed: 

• Additionally, it is evident that systematic, thorough research is required in the Indian setting to further the work of eminent scholars on the social and macroeconomic implications of early childhood development.
• It is essential to comprehend the opportunity cost of not allocating enough funds, materials, and top people to the early childhood sector in order to create evidence-based policy.
• In order to fully understand the effects of early childhood care, particularly the Anganwadi system—which is still the largest public ECCE providing system in the world—India must do long-term research.

Performing the NEP, 2020 Mandate Efficiently: 

• According to the NEP, 2020, over 85% of a child’s cumulative brain growth occurs in the first six years of life. This highlights the need of giving the brain the proper care and stimulation in the early years to support a child’s holistic development.
• According to the revised policy, it is imperative that all young children in the country have access to high-quality early childhood education, with a focus on children from households with lower socioeconomic status.
• The Foundational Learning Curriculum is divided into two portions for pupils ages 3 to 8: Classes I and II are for primary school students ages 6 to 8, while the Foundation Learning Curriculum is for ECCE students ages 3-6.
• Universal Access: Preschools, anganwadis, and Balvatikas provide free, safe, and excellent early childhood education to all children between the ages of three and six.
• Preparatory Class: Before the age of five, all children will be moved to a “Preparatory Class” or “Balvatika” (prior to Class 1), where play-based learning will be taught by ECCE-qualified instructors.
• Multifaceted Learning: An adaptable approach to education that places a strong focus on inquiry-based learning, play, and action to develop Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN).
• For years, ECCE investment has been disregarded, despite being vital to India’s future. The government has begun to concentrate on ECCE since it is recognised as essential to human development; this is seen in programmes like NIPUN Bharat and Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi. The current budgetary allocation for early childhood education (ECCE) demonstrates a positive trend, but given the benefits—such as increased cognitive capabilities and educational attainment—more is required.
• In the Indian setting, research is necessary to fully comprehend the effects and create efficient policies. Investing in early childhood education (ECCE) is essential to India’s development goals and will guarantee both the country’s and its children’s prosperity in the future.