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Early Childhood & Elementry Educatioin

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) aims to holistically develop children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning and well-being. While India faces financial constraints, advances have been made in ECCE, including providing developmentally appropriate education, integrating children with special needs, combining Western and indigenous practices, encouraging community participation, and implementing innovative projects like child-to-child and home-based programs. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is India's flagship program for universalizing elementary education, while universalization of elementary education aims to provide education to all children ages 6-14 through either formal or non-formal means.

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190 views4 pages

Early Childhood & Elementry Educatioin

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) aims to holistically develop children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning and well-being. While India faces financial constraints, advances have been made in ECCE, including providing developmentally appropriate education, integrating children with special needs, combining Western and indigenous practices, encouraging community participation, and implementing innovative projects like child-to-child and home-based programs. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is India's flagship program for universalizing elementary education, while universalization of elementary education aims to provide education to all children ages 6-14 through either formal or non-formal means.

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Preeti Panchagavi
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EARLY CHILDHOOD & ELEMENTRY EDUCATIOIN

Q1. Explain the concept, and significance of ECCE, and also explain the present scenario in
Indian Context.
Early childhood care and education (ECCE), as defined by UNESCO, is the “holistic
development of a child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs in order to build a
solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing.” We know these experiences
shape young learners minds, attitudes and often behaviours.
Significance of ECCE

1. ECCE promotes brain development and has positive long-term economic benefits.


2. Developing 21st Century Skills in early learners helps prepare them for success in
school and life.
3. ECCE can make a positive difference in the lives of young children.
4. Age-appropriate use of technology can enhance learning.
5. Uneven access- A scan from The Hunt Institute of early childhood education across
the country shows inconsistencies in offerings and quality of programs.

Present scenario in Indian Context

In spite of the financial constraints India faces, advances in Indian early childhood education
are evident. They include:
1. Providing Developmentally Appropriate Education in Early Years.
India's National Policy on Education (1986) has taken a strong stand on develop-
mentally appropriate practices and child-centred pro- grams. The document states: "Early
Childhood Education and Care (ECCE) will be child-oriented, focused around play, and
individually-oriented. Formal methods and introduction of the three Rs will be dis-courage at
this stage. The local community will be fully involved in these programs" (p. 10).
2. Integrating Children with Special Needs in the Regular Classrooms.
India is also an advocate of inclusion. The "Integrated Education" plan for the
disabled is coordinated and implemented by the National Council of Educational Research
and Training. Under this plan, children with special needs are integrated into regular
classrooms. Institutions for children with special needs have been established at the national
level, but these facilities and services have not yet reached the rural population.
3. Combining Western Models of Early Childhood Education with Indigenous Practices.
Some Western educational philosophies have had a widespread influence on early
childhood education in India, such as Montessori, Piaget, and Froebel. A concentrated effort
is being made by the government to release education in pre-primary years from the tyranny
of the three Rs. The curriculum in early childhood education is constantly revised to better
meet children’s needs. Songs, games, and stories from local cultures are included in the early
childhood curriculum. Materials to be used for early childhood classrooms are indigenously
prepared and care is taken to maintain their appropriateness to the cultural values. Following
her visit of an Aganwadi center in India, French (1992) reported that Indian educators
typically use natural resources, such as leaves and stones, to teach various mathematical
concepts. She also remarked on the overall child-centeredness of the curriculum amidst
visible resource constraints.
4. Encouraging Community Participation.
A recent report shows that 55% of women, 47% of community leaders, and 33% of
adolescent girls were involved in Aganwadi activities (National Institute of Public
Cooperation and Child Development, 1992). The rate of participation by rural and tribal
communities in education was found to be even higher than that of communities in urban
settings.
5. Conducting Program Evaluation through Case Study Methods.
Case study methods are the preferred means of evaluating various program
components of the ICDS programs. Nath and Ray (1993) reported that a case study approach
was used to evaluate the community participation models of Garden Reach (urban) ICDS
project in Calcutta under which 87 Aganwadis were in operation.
6. Implementing Innovative Projects.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training has successfully
implemented some innovative alternative projects in early childhood education. These
include:
 Child-to-child programs.
These programs are based in government primary schools, where older children are
trained in the basic skills of health and hygiene, nutrition, and child stimulation through
activities such as games and songs. Older students then practice these skills with their
younger siblings at home as well as younger children at school. This program is consistent
with the view that older children have a role to play as caretakers of their younger siblings, a
practice highly valued by the culture.
 School-readiness program.
This 6- to 8-week program is designed for areas of the country where preschool facilities
are unavailable. The school readiness program comes in a kit which includes a package of
activities to be conducted in the summer before the child starts first grade or in the beginning
of the first grade.
 Home-based programs.
Home-based programs have been developed by the National Council of Educational
Research and Training for urban and tribal children. The objective of these programs is to
develop mothers' skills in the care and education of their own children. Community workers
are selected to train and to evaluate the mother's progress.
Q2- Write Short notes on
A) Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan
B) Universalization of elementary education

A) Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan (SSA)


India’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the world’s most successful school programme.
It was launched in 2001 towards the culmination of Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002) to
achieve the goal of universalisation of elementary education in the country.
It focuses on compulsory education of children in the age group 6-14 years. Education
Guarantee Scheme, and Alternative Innovative Education Scheme for children living in
remote areas or dropouts and those who did not join school in time, is the two components of
this scheme.
SSA is an effort to improve the performance of the school system and provide community-
owned quality elementary education. It envisages bridging up gender and social disparities in
elementary education. It has special focus on educational needs of girls, SCs and STs,
children with disabilities and disadvantaged children. It is also an effort to universalise
elementary education by community-ownership of the school system. The main features of
SSA are:
(i) A programme with a clear time frame for universal elementary education;
(ii) An opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education;
(iii) A response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country;
(iv)An expression of political will for universal elementary education across the country;
(v) An effort for effectively involving the Panchayati Raj Institutions, School Management
Committees, Village and Urban Slum-level Education Committees, Parents’ Teachers’
Associations, Mother Teacher Association, Tribal Autonomous Councils and other grass-root
level structures in the management of elementary schools;
(vi) An opportunity for states to develop their own vision of elementary education.
(vii) A partnership between the central, state and the local government.

B) Universalization of elementary education


Universalization of Elementary Education (U.E.E.) is an educational term refers to
make education available to all children in the age of group of 6-14 or in class I-VII. It means
the education for every child to complete the stage of Elementary or Primary education either
formal or non-formal means of education.
Universalisation of education implies five things namely, universalisation of provision,
universalisation of enrolment, universalisation of retention universalisation of participation
and universalisation of achievement.
Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) has been accepted as a national goal in
India since Independence. The founding fathers of our Constitution recognised UEE as a
crucial input for nation building. UEE is also a Constitutional directive.
At the time of Independence, India inherited a system of education which was not only
quantitatively small but also characterised by structural imbalances. Only fourteen per cent of
the population was literate and only one child out of three had been enrolled in primary
school. The low levels of participation and literacy were aggravated by acute regional and
gender disparities. As education is vitally linked with the totality of the development process,
the reform and restructuring of the educational system was recognised as an important area of
state intervention.
The need for a literate population and universal education for all children in the age group
of 6-14 was recognised as a crucial input for nation building and was given due consideration
in the Constitution as well as in successive Five Year Plans.

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