Saturday 18 July 2015

Its Time for a Seperate Ministry for Early Childhood Care & Education

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION: WHERE INDIA STANDS

Swati Popat Vats (ecaorg@yahoo.com) www.eca-india.org
ECCE whose baby are we? Women and child welfare ministry? Education department? Human resource ministry? Meet Early Childhood Care and Education the stepchild of the education department and fiscal budget.

The big ECCE crossroad-
ECCE is caught between our emotions and our intellect. ECCE holds a unique position in education and exploiting its qualities is the optimal tool for leveraging its potential for the success of this country’s children and future citizens.

The power of ECCE-
The early childhood years is when a child is developing the potential to think rationally, persist in the face of challenge, use language adeptly, suppress impulse, regulate emotion, respond sympathetically to others’ distress, and cooperate with peers.   These skills will help them in the later years in acquiring the cognitive and social skills essential for becoming productive members of our society. 

Why there is confusion in ‘whose child’ is ECCE?

Because ECCE includes a two-tier organization of services, “child care” for the younger children and “pre-primary education” for the 3- to 6-year-olds. The problem till date is that the entire focus of the WCWM has been taken up with childcare and rightly so as mal nutrition and health issues are many. But that leaves the education part completely ignored, so even in the ICDS programs the health and nutrition aspect is kind of worked out but the education aspect is where the centers lack proper infrastructure, learning equipment, toys, teacher training and training of supervisors.  Experience shows that greater progress is made when a central vision is put at the center of ECEC policy, and a dedicated ministry nominated to translate this vision into reality. 

Situation of ECCE in India-

India is a signatory to both the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 1989 and Education for All (EFA) 1990. The latter has postulated ECCE as the very first goal to be achieved for Education for all, since learning begins at birth The Dakar Framework for Action (2000) and Moscow Framework for Action (2010) have reaffirmed the commitment to ECCE.

Of the 158.7 million children in the below six years category (Census 2011), about 75.7 million children i.e. 48 percent are reported to be covered under the ICDS (MWCD, 2011). Broad estimations indicate that a significant number is also covered by the private sector, besides some limited coverage by the NGO sector for which we have no data.


The Government of India recognizes the significance of ECCE, in the following ways,
·         Included as a   constitutional provision through the amended Article 45  (The Constitution Act, 2002) that directs that “The State shall Endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years.
·         In the National Policy for Children (1974), consequent to which the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) was initiated on a pilot basis in 1975 (objective of laying the foundation for holistic and integrated development of child and building capabilities of caregivers).
·         The National Policy on Education (1986) considers ECCE to be a critical input for human development.
·         The National Nutrition Policy (1993) has also recommended interventions for childcare and nutrition during early childhood.
·         The National Health Policy (2002) and National Plan of Action for Children (2005) have also been supportive policy initiatives for early childhood.  
·         The  11t Five  Year  Plan  has  acknowledged  the  importance  of  Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as the stage that lays the foundation for life-long development and the realization of a childs  full potential and directs that all children be provided at least one year of preschool education in the age group of 3-6 years.” I
·         The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) which came into effect from April  1, 2010, has also addressed ECCE under Section 11 of the Act which states, with a view to  prepare children above the age of three years for elementary  education  and  to  provide  early  childhood  care  and  education  for  all children until they complete the age of six years, the appropriate Government may make  necessary  arrangement  for  providing  free  pre  -school  education  for  such children.

So how does the Indian government take care of its littlest citizens?
ECCE services are delivered through public, private, and non-governmental channels.
In the public sector, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the worlds largest programme imparting ECCE. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) have also supported setting up of ECCE centers, attached to primary schools the Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme for Working Mothers offers care and education services for children below 6 years of age.

The  private  sector  in  an  organized  or  unorganized  form,  with  varied quality,  is perhaps, the  second largest service provider of ECCE, and its outreach is steadily percolating even into the rural areas across the country.  In the voluntary sector, there are smaller scale initiatives.          Trusts, societies, religious groups, or international funding agencies largely support these.

So if India recognizes its commitment to ECCE, then what is wrong?
After more than 65 years of independence we have no defined, documented policy in ECCE, no curriculum framework for ECE centers and no qualifications specified for ECCE teachers. The quality of non formal preschool/ early childhood care and education imparted through these multiple channels is uneven, and varies from a minimalist approach to a mushrooming of accelerated academic programmes.  This is largely an outcome of inadequate understanding of the concept of ECCE, its philosophy, and importance among all stakeholders. This coupled with inadequate institutional capacity in the system and an absence of standards, regulatory norms,, and mechanisms as well as a lack of understanding of the basic premises of ECCE has aggravated the problem.

But we have a draft policy…
Policy? What policy? This whole Policy is just a vision document, a collection of correctly worded sentences. So then is a policy just supposed to be a vision document? Or is it supposed to outline a strategy and/a course of action? Will this policy go to the parliament to be turned to a bill?  If this is the procedure for passing a bill, then should not this policy be spelled out concretely?
Present policy is more of a vision than a policy document as it just lists what the government would like to do and not how and by when would it do it.
·         The ICDS Anganwadi Centre (AWC) would be repositioned as…
·         Family based/ Community based and NGO based ECCE service delivery model would be experimented and promoted….
·         To ensure universal access to integrated child development opportunities for all young children, the policy may support the option of ICDS complementing the private sector/voluntary sector programmes…
·         Linkage with primary school system will be streamlined…
·         To standardize the quality of ECCE available to children, basic Quality Standards and Specifications will be laid down….
·         A Regulatory Framework for ECCE to ensure basic quality inputs  and  outcomes,   across  all  service  providers/  sectors  undertaking  such services, will be progressively developed/ evolved at the national level and shall be implemented by states, with appropriate customization, in the next five years.
·         A developmentally appropriate National Curriculum Framework for ECCE will be developed
·         and continuous child assessment would also be explored
·         The policy envisages the establishment of an ECCE Cell / Division within MWCD as a nodal agency  for interface
Sadly the earlier “rich” policies have not been consulted (Kothari Commission, Yashpal Report and the NCERT document especially designed for early childhood set-up’s), and the current issues like franchises, “internationalization” are not addressed at all.  The draft policy is more about ICDS and makes a distinction between ICDS and private set ups, why? Aren’t children the same? Aren’t their developmental needs the same? Then why this distinction?  The non-negotiable of course will be the same, but will quality is the same for all or will the policy define different parameters for private and government? If parameters will be the same then the ICDS program will have to be upgraded to become a model for all to emulate and implement. What is the plan for that? 

How does our vision policy compare to the world?
Most countries have the following defined-
1.      A National Quality Framework includes: a national legislative framework that consists of: the Education and Care Services National Law (‘National Law’) the Education and Care Services National Regulations (‘National Regulations’)
2.     a National Quality Standard consisting of seven Quality Areas: Educational program and practice
·         Children’s health and safety
·         Physical environment
·         Staffing arrangements
·         Relationships with children
·         Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
·         Leadership and service management.
·          
3.     A national quality rating and assessment process through which services are assessed against the National Quality Standard by Regulatory Authorities and provided with a rating from one of the five rating levels.
4.     A Regulatory Authority in each state and territory who have primary responsibility for the approval, monitoring and quality assessment of services in their jurisdiction in accordance with the national legislative framework and in relation to the National Quality Standard
5.     A national body—to oversee the system and guide its implementation in a nationally consistent way.

How did these countries achieve this? How have these countries worked on their ecce policy?

ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT- OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. 
The OECD Education Committee is a forum for the Education Ministries of the OECD countries. The Committee meets at OECD headquarters twice a year to discuss education policy and issues. Visits and the reports from the review can be viewed on the project Web site: www.oecd.org/edu/earlychildhood
All these member countries have strengthened their early childhood policies, quality frameworks, and curriculum guidelines by working together and pooling their research and draft models. Why is India not part of the OECD?
I am not saying that only the countries part of this group have policies and frameworks, Mauritius, Singapore, Republic of Dominica are not represented in this group but have strong policy document, curriculum framework and quality standards. World over most of the countries have an ECCE policy, ECCE curriculum framework, ECCE quality documents in place, then why are we reinventing the wheel? Why not study the best and then work out what best suits our set ups in India?

What is happening world over in ECCE?
·         Research
·         Fee subsidy to parents by government
·         National ECCE policy documents
World Research in ECCE-
One only needs to read the following research documents to prepare a strong policy document and create awareness among all stakeholders in ECCE.
·         From Neurons to Neighborhoods (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000),
·         Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children (Carnegie Corporation, 1994),
·         the Reversing the Real Brain Drain: Early Years Study (McCain & Mustard, 1999),
·         Starting Strong: Early Childhood Education and Care (OECD,2001), and the
·         the OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy: Australian Background Report (Press & Hayes, 2000), to refocus interest in the role of early childhood programs to optimize child wellbeing, transition to school  and later schooling outcomes.

Fees –
World over most countries subsidize the fees for early care and education. In India, the state instead of taking a strong role and responsibility in helping parents with the costs of early care and education is asking centers to curb their fees without having a calculation of costs involved. So centers are cutting costs on essentials like teacher salaries, ongoing assessments, ongoing teacher training and learning aids. This is leading to low grade early childhood programs that harm more than help. Around the world, Families ineligible for child care subsidies and/or whose children attend non-government preschools or kindergartens usually pay substantial fees for these childhood services. In New South Wales for example, fees in preschools not attached to Public schools start at about $30 to $40 per day. Childcare center fees start at about $60 to $70 per day. Before-and-after-school care fees start at about $20 per day. The government does not dictate the fees of private set ups.

Do our policy makers understand the importance of investing in early childhood care and education?
In America President Obama visited Kindergartens, spent time building blocks with kids and even addressed the teachers. When was the last time our ministers, heads of states visited kindergartens? President Obama's new initiative "Preschool for all” under which all four-year-olds in low- and moderate-income families will have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs has furthered their commitment that they would rather invest in preschools than in prisons. - "We just might have a rare chance in the next couple of months to take steps toward such a landmark early childhood program in America.  But children can't vote, and they have no highly paid lobbyist - so it'll happen only if we, the public, speak up."

In India, children are not the vote bank of political parties and so no one is worried about them till they turn 18 and are able to vote then all the political parties suddenly think about taking care of their health, education and do not realize that it is too late as many would have already been affected by lack of education, drug habits, juvenile issues, remedial needs etc.

So why is the world investing in early childhood and not India?
World over countries benefit economically from investing in early childhood education and care, how? The major reported cost benefits of strong, responsive and early childhood intervention services are
1.     Increased tax revenues and – higher employment rates, associated tax contributions.
2.     Accompanying reductions in welfare expenditure- less reliance on unemployment or welfare benefits.
3.     Mothers able to take advantage of preschool care are more likely to gain employment, thus further increasing tax revenue and decreasing welfare dependence.
4.     Another area of reduced expenditure is in education for example, less grade repetition and fewer special education placements. 
5.     The final major area of reduced costs is in lower criminal justice system costs, including reduced arrest rates and court and detention expenses. 

Most of these except point one are not applicable in India so why should India invest in early childhood care and education?

Teacher qualifications have been given the least importance in our draft policy-

One of the non-negotiable given in the draft policy document is, ‘Adequate trained staff should be appointed’, what is adequate? And trained? Or should it be qualified, trained staff and a specific number should be outlined per class size?

What is wrong with this statement- qualified early childhood teacher. Isn’t it an oxymoron? A teacher has to be qualified!
Teacher qualification and base level salaries need to be defined other changes will fall into place- minimum qualification-minimum wages. Qualifications of child care (day care, crèche) and child education (kindergarten/preschool) to be different and defined.


Parent education is another ignored area in our draft policy-

Most children spend the first 3 years of their life with their parents before enrolling for any early childhood program and yet our policy document has very little stated for parent education-


So why is parent education important?

The evidence from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in the United States of America bears this out, as does the Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) Project in the United Kingdom. Both studies demonstrate the contributions that high-quality child care and preschool education, respectively, can make to children’s language and cognitive development during the early years. In both studies, parent and family characteristics are, however, stronger determinants than the early childhood programs, per se. The combination of family and community, working in synergy, powerfully determines outcomes. 

How can parent education about ECCE be achieved?-

In the Republic of Dominica, the Ministry of Education and Human resource Development sees parents as central stakeholders in ECD. 
The Ministry of Education has the following commitment towards parents -
  • Conduct ongoing public education on the value of ECD and access to licensed programmes and centers.
  • expose young people to parenting information through the Health and Family Life Education programmes at schools and collaborate with other Ministries for example, Ministry of Health in providing parenting programmes
  • Support the strengthening of the National Parenting Association to spearhead public and parent education and participation in Early Childhood Development.
  • Co-opt relevant and qualified individuals to assist in the development and delivery of ECD parenting programmes. 
  • Encourage early childhood centers to actively engage parents in the understanding and support for ECD learning and development.

National curriculum framework-
What research base? Which educational philosophies and approaches will be combined to create our curriculum framework? There have been no research projects like the Perry Preschool Project (USA) to understand what would be the best combination of educational approaches that would work for Indian early childhood centers.

World over-
Some programs are closely linked to century-old traditions based on the ideas of Fredrick Froebel, Maria Montessori, or Rudolf Steiner; others draw on more contemporary ideas such as those emerging from the Reggio Emilia region of Italy, now known as the ‘Reggio’ approach. But most early childhood programs follow an eclectic approach informed by Froebelian traditions and newer notions of ‘Developmentally Appropriate Practice’ first promoted by the US-based National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in the early 1980s (NAEYC, 1982).

It’s time to invest in kindergartens- the rich become richer the poor become poorer. The other brain drain-
The kindergarten child is still within the age range during which the brain is highly sensitive to educational intervention (Nelson 2000). The vast differences in the early experiences of a child in the ICDS program and a private program make it unlikely that the two children will ever perform equivalently in school and later employment arena.   A strong bond with an encouraging adult (perhaps a teacher) and community resources (such as excellent schools) are sources of resilience.  They fortify at-risk children such as those in poverty ridden areas with inner strengths that enable them to bounce back from negative experiences (Masten & Reed 2002). Isn’t it is easier to bring up strong children than to rebuild broken men?
Let’s invest in our littlest citizens, our human resource-

If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much. (Marian Wright Edelman) and sadly in our country no one stands up for children when it comes to government policies, party manifesto, or budget allocation. Without adequate policies and laws to define care and quality, early childhood care and education will not have the due impact and reach that is required for every child.   Children may be 25% of our present but they are 100% our future, then why do we have different and varied laws and policies around the country for early childhood care and education? Why do some children get the investment they require and some don’t?
1.     The terms care, education, development, early childhood care, and education, early childhood center should be clearly defined in the document for clarity in all diverse settings.
2.     The lead ministry for early care and early education to be defined to ensure equal focus on both care and education.
3.     Age specified in the document varies from 0-3, 0-6, and 0-8 we suggest that a standard age group of prenatal to 8 years to be maintained for the policy.
4.     The Objectives of ECCE need to be included.
5.     RTE guidelines to be matched with the policy guidelines for continuity and transition to primary. Entrance to standard one to be 6 years completion and not 5 years as it presently is for CBSE schools.
6.     Ideal minimum standards to be specified for implementation nationwide.
7.     To reach out to diverse early childhood settings like ICDS, anganwadis, private preschools, daycare centers, mother toddler programs it would be recommended that instead of referring and mentioning only  ICDS in various aspects in the policy a common terminology such as early childhood settings or ECCE  to be used. 
8.     Teacher training is not emphasized in the document. A minimum qualification, curriculum, and age standard should be specified. Training should be comprehensive including first aid and inclusion.
9.     Teacher child ratio to be proportionate to the age of the child. We recommend,

·         birth to 1 ½ = 1:5
·         1 ½ to 3 = 1:10
·         3 to 6= 1:20
·         6 to 8= 1:25
10.  DAP (developmentally appropriate practice) needs to be defined in the policy (reference ww.naeyc.org). Avoid ‘schoolification’ of early childhood education.
11.  Budget for early childhood education and care in India should be increased to be on par with other countries like Malaysia, Singapore etc.
12.  Parent education to be given due importance.
13.  The model of ICDS anganwadis to be reworked completely to become the quality model that the government wants others to follow.
14.  The private sector is presently leading in curriculum, quality etc. in many areas so to include a private-government partnership.
15.  Please have participation of the various early childhood associations, early childhood experts in India and make them an integral part of the development of our ECCE policy, quality regulations, and curriculum framework.

 All the stakeholders in ECCE need to know who they are, what their role is, and what the goals for ECCE are.  Without this clarity of purpose, kindergarten risks being driven off course by the winds that periodically blow through the education establishment.  More purposeful advocacy for kindergarten must articulate its historical strengths and potential contributions to children.  Kindergarten is too important not to protect and nurture.



References-
·         National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC), see www.ncac.gov.au
·         National Standards for Centre-based Long Day Care (see Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) www.facs.gov.au)
·         Early Years Learning Framework and the Framework for School Age Care are available from the ACECQA website (www.acecqa.gov.au) as well as a range of other resources for educators and families.
·         "Do We Invest in Preschools or Prisons? <http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/10617>“
·         From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000)
·         and any other that we may have overlooked to mention here, please get in touch with us on ecaorg@yahoo.com and we will look into the oversight.



53 comments:

Sonali Karmakar said...

Thank you Swati ma'am for sharing this blog... After reading this blog got to know regarding the policy of ECCE... It is sad that world is investing on early childhood and not India... Wish even Indian ministers visited our kindergartens like president Obama of America and understood the importance of it in depth... Indeed it is important to have a separate ministry for early childhood care and education.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Ramola Menezes teacher at PJK Plus Vile Parle would like to thank you ma'am for sharing such an informative blog with us. Poliical leaders should make it a point to visit preschools as these children are the future of India and should understand the importance of ECCE and hence it is important to have a separate minisrty for ealry childhood care and edcaton.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I am RAJUL NISHAR a teacher from PJK PLUS VILE PARLE would Like to thank you for sharing this blog with us. After reading this blog, I would just wish that even our Indian ministers take the initiative to invest in ECCE N understand the importance of it.

Unknown said...

I Ms.Leela Chamaria teacher of PJK Plus Vile Parle would like to thank you maam for sharing this informative blog.Its really high time our government takes an active part in ECCE and invest in our little ones as they are future and can make us feel more proud.

Unknown said...

Excellent blog to know regarding the detailed policy of ECCE and its concerns in Indian scenario. It is really very sad that in entire world people are concerned and are investing on early childhood and it is not happening in India. We all should make a call on this, so that even Indian government will think and will give importance to our kindergartens like president Obama of America We, truly agree that it is the need of the hour to have a separate ministry for early childhood care and education, so that our base will be stronger.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure Ma'am this particular blog will actually help all of us to understand the working background of the Indian Government for ECCE in India. Hoping for a visible change as our young ones grow, our country will grow too.

Unknown said...

The much needed information and the thought behind the ECCE has been projected in this article,ECCE which is the area in education which should be of the most priority has been ignored till date. Unlike the western countries who give the most importance to this age group and the people working for the growth of this department.India is lagging behind and hence the primary basic needs in terms of social, physical emotional development of children which help in the life ahead are ignored.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Kalpita Bhirud teacher of PJK Plus VileParle would really thank you ma'am for sharing such informative articles. We as teachers get to know and learn many thing through your blogs. It's very important for our government to now start looking after and giving importance to our little ones as they are our future,also it's very important that parents are educated with ECCE.

Unknown said...

I share Swati Ma’am’s angst when she writes: “Kindergarten is too important not to protect and nurture”. A nationwide debate to shape the vision of the government into a mission is the need of the hour. I seriously want the message to reach to the powers that be and vigorous remedial actions to initiate.

Unknown said...

Throughout Indian History, children have always enjoyed a special status in society. In India, Childhood is considered to be unique and enjoyable period in an individual's life, so children are pampered by adults in the family and in the community. Numerous special occasions in the community mark the significance of this developmental period. For example, the whole community celebrates the birth of a child, a child's first intake of solid food, the naming ceremony for a child, and the child's first day of formal education. Informal learning of young children in a natural envrionment through songs, dance, play and talk are a regular component of the chilrearing responsibilities of adults and older children in india. However, the growing demands of a newly industrialized nation have altered many of the basic childrearing practices in india.
The need for more sturctured early childhood education programs and stronger governmental involvement in the education of young children is rapidly emerging.
The changes in the social and economic structure of India have intensified the need for universal early childhood education. The formidable challenges before the Indian Government are: to provide high quality early childhood education programs; to preserve indigenous practices such as multilinguality, family/community involvement, participation of older children as caretakers of their younger siblings; and to provide early childhood education to all children despite serious financial constraints
As #SwatiMa'am has shared in the article that various dedicated policies has been laid out for ECCE, but its just a documented Vision.
Leaders and education reformist's like Swati Ma'am have brought a huge spur in the society and brought awareness about the importance of Early childhood.

Hoping for a better India, which works on the projected Vission's and brings the much needed change.
Thankyou Ma'am for sharing this important information.

Anonymous said...

Respected Ma'am,

Being a part of ECCE, I completely agree to the views shared by you. It's a fact that we require adequate and qualified staff who can understand the gravity of their positions.Early Childhood centres are not just a place where children come for two/ two and half hours, but in fact it’s a place where the foundation of early years is made strong.The intervention of Government in this field is required as Kindergarten years are very important for the future of our country.

Unknown said...

Thankyou Swati Ma'am for sharing this much needed information.

Pre-primary education is most important for the child as it is the first step towards entering the world of knowledge as well as a healthy and purposeful life. It helps children become more freewheeling and dauntless as well as promoting the all round development of the children. Learning provided in a school helps one to develop his fundamental principles, morality and the way toddlers look towards life.Facilities play a very important role; the environment for schooling should be healthy and playful to achieve this.
The government needs to definitely invest in improving the quality of services which will improve the learning achievement of children at a tender age. Its high time the government looks at these issues to ensure a proper system for edification in India. Children may be 25% of our present but they are undoubtedly 100% our future, then why do we have different and varied laws and policies around the country for early childhood care and education.
Its high time to bring about the much awaited change.

Unknown said...

I Ms Tanvi Mody teacher or PJK Plus Vile Parle will like to thank you ma'am for sharing such an important blog with us.Its really important for government to take important steps for small kids and work on ECCE.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Janice Gomes teacher with PJK Plus Vile Parle, thank you ma'am for sharing such an informative blog, it's an eye opener to all. Indian leaders and ministers should take an initiative for Early childhood education and care in India like other countries have already developed and even Parent education to be given due importance which has to be carried out by our government this would really help in for our little ones.

Unknown said...

I Mrs Shruti Ramani, float teacher at PJK plus vile parle , A big Thankyou Ma'am for sharing a educational blog, it is an eye opener for the government, and a very innovative and informative .The Indian Constitution should print a draft and make some laws for the Early childhood education, The Government should know that this generation is the pillar of our future country ,the pillar should be strong.The government should really take active measures to implement this and should be followed by all .

Anonymous said...

Respected Ma'am

Thank you for sharing this blog. Got to know the detailed policy of ECCE. The government needs to definitely invest in improving the quality of services which will improve the learning of children at early age. It's sad to know that everybody is investing in early years and not India. Government should take a stand and should invest in early childhood care and education

Anonymous said...

Respected Ma'am

Thank you for sharing such an informative blog. I completely agree to the points shared by you. It's sad that the whole world is investing in early years and not India. Government should take an initiative and invest in early years so that we can give the best to our little one's.

Unknown said...

Thank you Ma'am for sharing this informative article which helped to get awareness on the detailed policy of ecce.
It's very important for our government to now start looking after and giving importance to our little ones as they are our future,also it's very important that parents are educated with ECCE.

Unknown said...

Thank you Ma'am for sharing this informative article which helped to get awareness on the detailed policy of ecce.
It's very important for our government to now start looking after and giving importance to our little ones as they are our future,also it's very important that parents are educated with ECCE.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Ma'am for sharing information on one of the important topic which has been unnoticed by our Indian government . I hope soon there will be a visible change in the framework of ECCE policies .

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much Swati Ma'am for sharing such an informative blog with us.
The detailed policy of ECCE is very well explained. I agree that our government should make attempts to early childhood as much of the people are unaware and will help them give an insight. Also we all should work towards this and take it to a great heights.

Anonymous said...

Very informative blog.Thank you Ma’am for sharing such a detailed policy of ECCE and its concerns in context to India. The government needs to definitely invest in improving the quality of services which will improve the learning achievement of children at a young age.As rightly said children may be 25%of present but they are 100%of future.

Unknown said...

Respected Ma'am,

I am thankful to you for sharing this article. It is indeed very sad that our country has yet not been able to understand the importance of ECCE. Early Childhood Care and Education should be one of the important topic for it is the children of today who are our future for tomorrow.

Unknown said...

This blog has all ready information for us to be aware of things happening around the world in ECCE,So its time for all of us to be contributor by voicing and acting our demands to Government .

Unknown said...

I Ms. Poonam Borade teacher of PJK Plus Vile Parle thank you ma'am for sharing this important and informative article. It's very sad that the whole world is investing in early childhood and not India. The Indian minister should take interest in early childhood education because they are future of our country.

Unknown said...

Its high time that Indian government should acknowledge and accept that learning begins at birth. It time now to give improtance to the formative years of every child. This blog gives indepth information on ECCE around the world.

Farida Lokhandwala said...

The perfect vision for  a brighter ECE in India is set in your article. I wish that it is read by some education beat journalist and for the betterment of the next generation is picked and publushed in print media.

Each one of us also if starts believing and propagating these ideas, solutions and beliefs, we would soon be in lakhs of people speaking the same language for the govt to hear us.

Unknown said...

Thanks Ma'am for sharing this very informative and eye-opener Blog.
Its high time that the Indian Government gives weight-age to the importance and urgent need of ECCE instead of having a documented vision under the Constitution Act 2002.

India should join hands with the ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT- OECD

This Network upholds the mandate of the Education Policy Committee to assist countries to develop effective and efficient policies for education and learning to meet individual, social, cultural and economic objectives. The network aims to support the development of approaches and good practice in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy in participating countries.

Unknown said...

The blog is extremely informative and well detailed regarding the policy of ECCE and its concerns in India. I hope that it acts as an eye opener to the Indian Government and a separate Ministry is formed soon. It is indeed need of the hour as worldwide ECCE is recognized and holds an important position in education and a lot is being done for the younger children . I would like to thank Swati ma’am for enlightening us with such detailed and thought provoking blogs.

Unknown said...

I truly agree, if we don't stand for children, we stand for nothing. Thanks a lot mam for sharing this information. Let our thoughts lead to action and we as educators approach the authorities and make them aware that tomorrow's youth need them and new rules to be implemented keeping them(children) in mind.....

shilpa said...

Best shared
Thanks to you for every little thing which we have to know and learn and draw attention of the Government to have hand in hand to bring up better citizens these mentioned policy will help effectively the development and progress from our way we surely will raise voice.

Anonymous said...

Ma'am thanks for showing such a clear and complete picture of the status of ECCE in our country and after reading it we definitely are not proud of it. It is also true that just being sad or angry about it will also not help in any way. Ma'am the only way to bring change in this situation is to make the government realise the need of ECCE towards which they presently have a blind eye, and ma'am definitely a leader who will speak for all stakeholders . That no doubt has to be you hence do guide us how can we make our voice heard and be a part even if a small one for bringing this necessary change.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Vidhi Chawda teacher of PJK Plus Vile Parle thank you ma'am for sharing such a wonderfull article.The Indian Government should have policies for early childhood care and education like other countries who have alrerady established and implementing the policies.

Unknown said...

Dear Ma'am Thank you for sharing with us such an Insightful Article. Indian Ministry should realize the Importance of Early Childhood Education and invest in ECCE the future face of INDIA. Hope to see a change in INDIAN ministry

Unknown said...

Ms.Vats,

I second that. For 158.11 million children no specific national body. I did experience the same feeling that ECCE is whose baby, when I was looking for some governing body to put a light on age criteria to be followed in early childhood schooling years. Sad no one could help me.

Moreover, there is also an urgent need that education sector atleast now gets a better share in the public expenditure of GDP. Presently, about 2-3% of GDP is used for school education where in other countries- uses 6-8% from their GDP infact more than that.

In regards to, nomenclature used for people working in early childhood programs should be signified as trained or professionals and have nationally accepted appropriate names.

But to bring all the changes, the best way is to make people aware and I think your blog is serving the purpose. So, friends lets share this blog and make it happen for littlest citizens of our India after all they are the future of India.

Anonymous said...

Education is wide subject which is now become part of our laws, which I feel now will strengthen and improve quality education. After reading blog I have become more confident in policies.

Unknown said...

Thank you, Swati Ma'am for this detailed article. Many aren't aware of the governing bodies and their role. ECCE is a neglected sector and needs immediate attention. On our part, we will share this blog on our Facebook page and portal as well to obtain as many eyeballs as possible. Let's be the change we want to see!

Unknown said...

Respected Ma'am Very informative blog.Thank you Ma’am for sharing such a detailed policy of ECCE and its concerns in context to India.

jayshree shah said...

A very informative and education blog covering various aspects of ECCE and a very known and done for it specially in India till date.We can surely strive to bring it into notice of many people and various authorities to improve the present policy of ECCE and needs to seek attention of many through educating parents and many educators.
Thanks for such a detailed comparison , information and educating all about ECCE in detail.

Unknown said...

A much needed article. Government intervention in ECE sector will make a vast difference in availability of quality services. For every question raised about quality, the answer is density in population. the positive side is we have sufficient manpower to attend it.
In Germany I cannot work after having 20 years of experience in the same field, the Kindergartens here will consider my application only after I attend a six month practical training. why can't we have such rules in India.

PJK Vadgaon said...

Thank-you Ma'am for sharing detailed policy of ECCS. It is only possible if people will be a aware of all these policies and this blog will help defiantly.

Hema Mittal said...

Thank you ma'am for the most helpful insight into ECCE policy. It comes as a ready reckoner for us to work on our weaknesses and plug lapses. The constant monitoring and having set parameters to work within, will help us move towards the realization of a supple system of early childhood education.

Unknown said...

Dear ma'am,
Thankyou for sharing such an informative article with all of us.The Indian government should read this article & take it on a serious note to work on it so that a separate ministry is formed soon.

Unknown said...

This article is an eye-opener to our Indian Government to take initiative to form a separate Ministry for Early Childhood Care & Education and to give a secure foundation to our future citizens.
This blog is also very informative with detail information and importance of ECCD. Thank you ma'am for sharing with us.

Unknown said...

Thank you for this extremely informative article. A true article which should actually be shown to the government. This shows where actually India stands. When political leaders visit old age homes, cricket matches, and malls they should also realise that Pre-schools are also an important part in building the foundation of a country and should also be visited and understood at national level.

Unknown said...

Thank you Ma'am for sharing such an insightful article, which many of us are not aware of.
the government should take initative in early childhood, for making a better future of our little ones and strengthen them.

Unknown said...

Its high time we all need to get together and voice out our opinion and make the government realize their hypocrisy and pay attention to the young citizen's need. Thank you ma'
am for sharing such an important information with us.

Unknown said...

I Ms. Sabina Shah teacher from PJK Plus Vile Parle would like to thank you Ma'am for sharing such an informative article.Its high time now the government should take initiative in early childhood.Hoping for a good change in future as our young ones are the pillar of our future country.

PJK Vadgaonsheri 2 said...

Thank you ma'am for sharing such a informative blog and it is sad that the Indian government has still not understood the importance of early childhood and not taking any initiative to invest on it.

Unknown said...

Really appreciate this post. It’s hard to sort the good from the bad sometimes, but I think you’ve nailed it!


health and physical education

Unknown said...

I Ms. Vinjal Chauhan trainee of PJK Plus Ville Parla. Thank you ma'am for sharing such a wonderful blog with us.

Unknown said...

Great article Swati ma'am.
Hope you liked my book 'Caregivers it's all up to us- Nurturing Young Minds'.
It was given to you, by Mrs Shylaja Uday Nair mother of Aditri Uday Nair( Senior kg- morning batch) of your school.
If you have read it, your comments would be much appreciated.
Warm regards

Sunanda menon