NEP 2020 and Early Childhood Education: A Structural Transformation
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Governance (National Education Policy - NEP 2020, Anganwadis, Integrated Child Development Services - ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyan, Samagra Shiksha), Social Issues (Education, Child Development).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Health, Human Resources; Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population (children, women) and the performance of these schemes.
Key Highlights from the News
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) initiated revolutionary changes in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).
NEP paved the way for starting pre-school classes (for example, Balvatika) for children aged 3-6 in government schools. Previously, children in this age group relied solely on Anganwadis in the public sector.
Due to NEP, three major structural changes are occurring in the ECCE sector:
Expansion of the ECCE Sector: With the introduction of pre-school in government schools, the number of ECCE classes in the country will significantly increase. This requires more funding and trained teachers.
Transition of Children from Anganwadis to Schools: Parents who prioritize education are choosing pre-school classes in schools over Anganwadis. This may affect the relevance of Anganwadis.
Reorganization of Anganwadis: As children aged 3-6 move to schools, Anganwadis will have the opportunity to focus more on children aged 0-3 years, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. For this, home visits can be made more efficient.
The 'Poshan bhi Padhai bhi' scheme, which aims to give importance to education in Anganwadis, is a good step.
Schools should emphasize play-based learning in pre-school education instead of 'schoolification' (i.e., merely teaching reading and writing).
COMMENTS