Key highlights of the draft:
- Right To Education Act to cover the three years of preschool before Class 1. Thus all Indian children could soon enter the formal education system at the age of three.
- Early childhood education should be overseen and regulated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) as part of the school system, rather than the private pre-schools and anganwadis that currently cater to the 3-to-6 years age group.
- It suggests a new integrated curricular framework for 3 to 8-year olds with a flexible system based on play, activity and discovery, and beginning exposure to three languages from age 3 onwards.
- A joint task force from Health, HRD and Women and Child Development (WCD) ministry will draft “a detailed plan outlining the operational and financial implications of the integration of early childhood education with the school education system”.
Comment:
- The draft Policy praises the contribution of anganwadis to improving health and nutrition, but notes that their record in education is not so strong.
- The recent changes could result in an upheaval in the anganwadi system which has been overseen by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) for more than four decades.
