Introduction
The New Education Policy 2020 [NEP 2020] has laid the foundation for transformative changes in the education domain. These extend from policy pivot, focus to changes in approach towards school education. A key change has been the extension in the age range of free and compulsory education for children. The new age range as 3-18 it has laid emphasis on the significance and importance of pre-school education, laying the foundation for 3 years of pre primary education for children. We need to keep in perspective that the government had ongoing efforts with children through – Integrated Child Development Services [ICDS], a Government of India sponsored programme, is India’s primary social welfare scheme to tackle malnutrition and health problems in children below 6 years of age and pregnant and nursing mothers. [DARPG]
As changes in the approach towards engagement on Education with children in the age group 3-6 happen it is important to understand the efforts in the past and ongoing ones. We will aim to develop a holistic understanding of the same through the reading and also suggest the way forward.
Policies and Statistics
The 1st National Policy on Child Rights, 1974, was the founding document that recognized the importance of children and laid significance of them being an invaluable asset to the nation. The nurturance and solicitude of children was considered the responsibility of the State. In response to the issues of health and nutrition of children and mothers there was a need to implement a holistics program. Launched in 1975, Integrated Child Development Scheme was a unique early childhood development programme, aimed at addressing malnutrition, health and also development needs of young children, pregnant and nursing mothers. In the 10th five year plan it got linked to the Anganwadi centres staffed with the Anganwadi worker as the frontline worker.
Image 1 – ICDS scheme components
ICDS consists of 4 different components, namely:
1.Early Childhood Care Education & Development (ECCED)
2.Care & Nutrition Counselling
3.Health Services
4.Community Mobilisation Awareness, Advocacy & Information, Education and Communication
[Source – DARPG]
The primary focus has been on the 2, 3 and 4 components as above over the last few decades with a secondary focus on the ECCED component. This has been largely due to a sharp focus on working towards health and nutrition in order to eliminate the issues of health and nutrition.
Image 2 – ICDS reporting flow of progress
The programme is implemented at the community level so as to have a last mile connectivity right up to the doorstep of the beneficiary. The administrative structure in order to implement the programme is multi-layered. It starts from the community level and goes up to the Central monitoring unit level. Since the implementation is done via the different States across India it has administrative systems such as – cluster level, district level and state level. The image 2 above shares the reporting flow progress in the programme.
Image 3 – Dashboard data from POSHAN as on Aug 31, 2024.
The data above is a reflection of the enormity of the programme. The sheer size of eligible beneficiaries under the programme – 9,98,78,613 – speaks of the impact on ground that it aims to achieve through the 4 components as in Image 2.
New Education Policy 2020
The preschool years represent a time of great cognitive and behavioural growth, with the emergence in early form of many quintessentially human psychological abilities, they likewise constitute a period of “blossoming” within the brain, during which anatomical and physiological substrates show some of their most dynamic and elaborative developmental changes. [NCBI. 2012] As per studies it is established that 85% of a child’s cumulative brain development occurs prior to the age of 6, indicating the critical importance of appropriate care and stimulation of the brain in the early years in order to ensure healthy brain development and growth. [NEP. 2020]
It therefore is pertinent that investment in ECCE has the potential to give children access to an environment that can enable their participation and flourishing within the educational system throughout life. Hence establishing universal provisioning of quality ECCEmust thus be achieved as soon as possible. This would also lay the foundation for children to be school ready.
The NEP 2020 makes a focused mention of Early Childhood Education as compared to earlier policies and policies. It clearly mentions the Foundational Stage of learning for children for 5 years. The five years for children aged 3-8 years, first 3 years are to be experienced in an Anganwadi and next 2 years in Primary school.
Image 4 – New pedagogical and curricular structure as per NEP 2020.
The policy clearly as in the image above shares the change in structure. It also articulates the Curricular goals that are to be achieved for children in the Foundational stage.
As per the NEP 2020, ECCE ideally consists of flexible, multi-faceted, multi-level, play-based, activity-based, and inquiry-based learning, comprising of alphabets, languages, numbers, counting, colours, shapes, indoor and outdoor play, puzzles and logical thinking, problem-solving, drawing, painting and other visual art, craft, drama and puppetry, music and movement. It also includes a focus on developing social capacities, sensitivity, good behaviour, courtesy, ethics, personal and public cleanliness, teamwork, and cooperation. [NEP. 2020]
The six pillars that have been established hence are –
- Physical and motor development
- Cognitive development
- Socio-emotional-ethical development
- Cultural/artistic development
- Development of communication
- Early language, literacy, and numeracy.
Ongoing efforts
The challenge is to adapt the approach proposed by the NEP 2020 in alignment with the existing programmes – ICDS – and the multi-layered structure in place.
The ongoing efforts include –
- Saksham Anganwadi
- Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0)
Under the above programme, Anganwadi Services Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and Scheme for Adolescent Girls have been reorganised into 3 primary sub-verticals:
(i) Nutrition Support for POSHAN and for Adolescent Girls
(ii) Early Childhood Care and Education [3-6 years] and
(iii) Anganwadi Infrastructure including modern, upgraded Saksham Anganwadis.
[Press Information Bureau. 2024]
In addition to the above the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development has developed the following –
- Aadharshila- National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024 For Children from Three to Six years
- Weekly Play Based Calendar – Aadharshila – National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024 For Children from Three to Six years
- Activity Compendium – Aadharshila – National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024 For Children from Three to Six years
The State governments have also directed the state council for educational research and training department to develop learning, training and activity materials that can be utilised by the Anganwadi workers. It is important to highlight that the NEP 2020 makes a mention of the importance of context in the learning of a child.
Conclusion
The NEP 2020 has laid the framework towards building universal access for Early Childhood Care and Education for all children in India. The earlier policy versions and programmes have set the base especially in terms of establishing a strong reach, frontline workforce, infrastructure and programmatic engagement over decades now. If we closely set it under broad categories it can be divided into the following heads –
- Infrastructure
- Human resource
- Learning/training materials
The components 1 and 2 are firmly in place and have stood the test of time as a programme outcome. The component of Learning/training materials would consist of training the frontline workforce on inculcating education, contextual learning materials, creating mechanisms for curricular engagement and trace. It is essential to encourage attempts of concepts of ‘Balvatikas’ which can be set up as model Anganwadi centres. The significant number of Anganwadi which are inside the primary school premises across the country can be the leaders in this thereby establishing the vision of NEP 2020. The inter departmental mandate for doing this has to be taken up by the respective governments of the day to create collective impact in the ECCE space in upcoming times.
The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn. – Maria Montessori
References
- Ministry of Women and Child Development. Government of India. Budget 2024-25.
- Integrated Child Development Services. [2024]
- DARPG. ICDS. [2017]
- Ali, Manzoor. National Policy for Children – High on Promises Low on Budget. [2013]
- Saksham Anganwadi – POSHAN. Press Information Bureau.[2024]
- Nimkar, Nilesh. The Devil is in the details. [2020]
- New Education Policy. [2020]
- Brown T. Timothy & Jernigan L Terry. Brain development during preschool years. [2012]
- Publications. NIPCCD. [2024]
