EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
1. Review of Past Growth 1.1 Development of pre-primary education in India has been of comparatively recent origin, with first institutions starting around the end of the 19th Century. The begining of the 20th Century saw the setting up of such institutions in Maharashtra. Subsequently, with the visit of Madame Montessori in the thirties, early childhood education got a boost and pioneers like Tarabai Medak and Gijubhai Badheka in Western India and Arundale in the southern part of the country started institutions for pre-school education and also teacher training institutions on the Montessori lines. These efforts were sporadic and were all under-taken by the voluntary organisations. However, these efforts contributed and extracted an assurance of Government's support by way of recommendations from the CABE (1944) which led to the gradual acceptance and expansion of pre-primary education as a necessary adjunct to elementary education.
1.2 In quantitative terms, the number of schools has increased from 303 in 1950-51 to 3,500 in 1965-66 to 4,500 in 1986-87.The corresponding increase in enrolment has been from 28,000 to 2.50 lakh to 12.72 lakh children.
Year Institutions* Enrolment*
1950-51 303 28,000
1965-66 3,500 2,50,000
1986-87 4,500 12,72,000
*Source: Report of Group appointed by CABE Committee
on Elementary Education to study linkages of ECCE with EE.
1.3 However,pre-primary schools are not the only models for imparting pre-primary education. By far the largest model is the integrated Child Development Services Scheme with a coverage of 46.67 lakh beneficiaries in 1987-88 through 88,400 centres. Altogether, 62.24 lakh children were covered under the pre-primary sector through the ICDS, the Balwadis, the Creche and Day Care Centres, the pre-primary schools and the Early Childhood Education Centres:
31
Early Childhood Education Centres:
Programmes No. of Enrolment
Centres in Lakhs
ICDS 88,400 46.67
Balwadis 5,000 1.50
Early Childhood 4,500 1.35
Education
Enrolment in pre-
primary Centres and - 12.72
pre-primary Classes
in Primary Schools
62.24
*Source: Draft Operational Plan: Department of Women & Child
Development; Selected Educational Statistics 1986-87.
1.4 This number, however, amounts to only 11.42% of the total 532.5 lakh children in this age-group. It is obvious that we still have a long way to go before we reach the target laid down in the Plan of Action (POA) of the National Policy on Education, 1986 (NPE), viz., 70% coverage by 2000 A.D.
2. Objectives in the Eighth Plan The task before us seems all the more daunting when we look at the qualitative aspects of the programmes established. The objective of Early Childhood Care Education, as stated in the NPE, is the total development of the young child in the age-group 0-6, with special emphasis on children belonging to under privileged groups and first generation learners. The NPE views ECCE as an important programme in its own right. The role of ECCE is also envisaged in the context of
- preparation of children for primary school - support service for girls in UPE - support service for working women in low-income groups.
3. Content Being holistic in approach, ECCE must attend to all aspects of the child's development. The content of ECCE, in addition to the vital and central inputs of health care and nutrition, is a programme of structured and unstructured play activities, play materials and learning experiences which promote the social, emotional, mental, physical and a esthetic development of the child. The entire effort is directed towards providing a natural, enjoyable and joyful environment to the child taking care of providing all necessary inputs for his proper development and growth without in any way putting any restraints or constraints on him.
4. Target Groups The POA has defined some of these groups as follows:
- very poor urban slum communities;
- ecologically deprived areas where children are required to fetch fuel, fodder, water and do other household chores;
- family labour and household chores in rural areas and artisan households;
32
- working children in the unorganised sector;
- inherent, or seasonal labour, who have a mobile and transient life-style, like road workers, - construction workers in urban and rural areas; - landless agricultural labour; - forest dwellers and tribals in remote areas; - residents of remote isolated hamlets.
5. Programmes The main vehicle for ECCE is the ICDS, which has the largest outreach and which, with planned expansion, will be able to reach 80% of the vulnerable population by the end of the Eighth Plan. The group recommends that steps be initiated to make ICDS respond effectively to all the needs mentioned in the previous paragraph and referred to in the NPE. This can be done by
- Strengthening the pre-school education component of ICDS. - adapting its location, duration and other elements in order to serve as a support service for enrolment, particularly of girls in Elementary Education; and
- adapting its location, duration and other elements in order to serve as a support service for low income working mothers.
6. Strategies
6.1 model and Approaches : i) ECCE model (0-6 years) attached either to a primary school or to an NFE centre or run independently. The possible attachment to an NFE Centre is also referred to in the section of Non-Formal Education and other alternatives to the primary school. However, in most cases this would, in fact, be an ICDS centre.
ii) ECE model (3-6 years). This model is most appropriately attached to a primary school using the infrastructure of the school system.
iii) Primary school preparation model. This model is envisaged as an application of ECE to the existing primary school programme either through a summer school readiness programme of a "first month project" covering the first six weeks or so for new entrants in Class I.
6.2 Certain broad approaches may be implemented through diverse institutions and services:
1. The use of mass media on a large scale to create awareness about the significance of early childhood and ways of promoting child development.
2. The involvement of older children in health care and education of younger children through child-to-child activities, which may include making of toys, participating in games and creative activities for mental stimulation,promoting health habits, cleanliness and nutritional awareness. Activities for child-to-child programmes can be taken up by primary schools, health centres, non-formal education centres, libraries, Bal Bhavans, voluntary agencies and community centres.
3. The involvement of mothers/other family adults through home-based activities for children's development.
33
7. Training 7.1 Training of personnel will have to play an important role in ECCE. Equal emphasis would need to be placed on pre-service and in- service refresher-training. Training modules must be relevant to the areas in which the programmes will be implemented and have an inbuilt flexibility for purposes of adaptation. As far as possible, all pre- service training for field level and middle level workers must be planned on the "sandwich" pattern alternating periods of field placement with periods of centre based exposure to theory and practicals.
7.2 Selection of training institutes is crucial to providing appropriate training. Existing institutes with long experience in the field of training like colleges of Home Science, schools of social work, University Deptts of Education etc. can be assigned the task of training different categories of workers. Voluntary Organisations working at the field level may be utilised for mobile or field-based training. Minimum infrastructure must be spelt out with adequate provision for prototypes, aids, library, salaries, etc. Training institutions may utilise their existing staff upto a point by payment of honorarium, but because field-based training requires extensive supervision, and separate training cells, would need to be provided.
7.3 Various types of training programmes may be envisaged for each level of training ranging from short orientation-cum-contact Programmes & refresher courses to long duration courses. In any event, the expenditure on training, amounting to about Rs. 2000/- per head at the present rates, Would need to be revised substantially, to about 3 times this amount.
7.4 Regarding materials, the play material in ECE Centres may require a recurring budget provision of Rs.1000. Similarly about Rs.1000 per Centre will need to be provided additionally for material for children at age group 0-3 where these are covered. Stress will also have to be laid on the development of printed material and on the use of radio and television for appropriate children's programmes. There would be need to provide for supporting programmes relating to children's material, in the form of reference libraries and resource centres and appropriate forums for dissemination e.g. through annual exhibitions or workshops. Similarly, there will need to be substantial provision for the development, production and dissemination of training materials.
34