By Naba Kishor Pujari
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is the foundation for the childhood and prepare the child psychologically, socially and physically for the basic school education. Pedagogically, there is an organic linkage from Early Childhood Care and Education to post graduation studies in terms of different stages of childhood to adulthood. The importance of the early childhood years has made policy and programming for early childhood development an imperative for every nation. It is a country where 40 percent people are living in extreme poverty. There is hardly any way to alleviate poverty overnight. It needs significant and appropriate intervention. One of these interventions is education. It is the only way to fight with poverty. Because, studies reveal that around 80 percent development of brain occurs in a child between the ages of 3 to 6 years and in these times, they capture everything with extraordinary pace. Further, millions children from these poverty stricken families become victim of child labour. The approximate coverage is about 34 million children by the pre-schooling initiatives under ICDS. Though some states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh have improved their Child Development Index, still, there is a visible gap between the policy and its practices. Around 5 lakh children under the age group of 3 -6 years are still not under the umbrella of ECCE. 70% of the AWCs run in the school compound. There has to be addressed different aspects of a child like cognitive development, physical and motor development, creativity and aesthetic appreciation, scientific ways of thinking and inculcation of healthy habits. The infrastructural facilities available are also discouraging. According to Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER) 2011, Around 25,453 million children enrolled in 456994 ICDS Centres of India but only 31 percent of them attend and participate there in a regular basis. Five of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the UN Millennium Declaration relate to the health, nutrition, and education of the young child. In 1990, the Jomtien Declaration for Education for All (EFA) stated that learning starts at birth and early childhood care and education was indeed made Goal number one. A decade later the Dakar Framework for Action reaffirmed its importance and in 2010, UNESCO held the first global conference on this goal in Moscow, producing a final statement that recognized that children’s right to early childhood care and education begins at birth.The Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) have been the guideposts for planning but achieving synergy across varied sectors catering to different facets of the child’s development has remained elusive. This is reflected in the poor health and education indicators at young children. The Government of India recognizes the significance of ECCE, which has been included as a constitutional provision through the amended Article45 (The Constitution Act, 2002) which directs that “The State shall endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years”. The National Policy on Education (1986), recognizing the crucial importance of early childhood education, recommended strengthening ECCE programmes not only as an essential component of human development but also as a support to universalization of elementary education and a programme of women's development. Despite existence of multiple service provisions, there is no reliable data available about the actual number of children attending ECCE provisions and their breakup as per delivery of services/ type of services. According to the information shared by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India, out 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 Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and only 32 percent of the pre-primary age children are enrolled in education structures at this level. In eleventh Five years Plan had committed to pre-schooling with various options and development of children will be at the centre of this plan. Recently the draft of National Policy on ECCE was made to cover the issues like universal access and inclusion, ensuring Quality with Equity in ECCE and strengthening Capacity. The quality standards adhere to the philosophy of integrated approach for holistic child development, of which education/ early stimulation is an integral part. The present framework is set in the context of the National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy and National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Education. It is informed by the National Curriculum Framework Position Paper on ECCE, 2005 and other national and international work on developing minimum specifications and quality standards for ECCE. But despite its conceptual strength, the services under ECCE are still missing its set ideologies and objectives. Early childhood education our country runs by Anganwadi Workers. According to the survey report of SCAN India,there were 10.13 lakh AWCs/mini-AWCs as on 31.3.2008 which have increased to 12.42 lakh as on 31.12.2010. There are 498 Anganwadi Workers Training Centres (AWTCs) operational as on 31.12.2010.80.24 percent AWCs/ mini-AWC are in pucca buildings which includes 22 percent rented pucca buildings. 51.67 percent AWCs have drinking water facilities within the premises. 41.38 percent AWCs have toilet facilities and 25.61 percent AWCs have separate kitchen. One can know that anganwadi worker is basically a health worker their services are limited to provide immunization to new born babies, antenatal care to pregnant women and providing supplementary nutrition to children. It is obvious that, they cannot deal with the cognitive skill, instructional strategies, behavioral changes and stimulations. Clause 11 of RTE Act, 2009 makes a provision that “ with a view to prepare children above the age of 3 tears of elementary education and to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of 6 years, the appropriate government may make necessary arrangement for providing free pre-school education for such children”. ECCE has been being looked at as a major tool to reduce out of school and drop out children cases as it fosters preparedness among young minds to go to school and formal learning. So, in order to improve the quality education at elementary level, pre-school education should be made universal. - See more at: http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=39256#sthash.oIWAgQMy.dpuf
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is the foundation for the childhood and prepare the child psychologically, socially and physically for the basic school education. Pedagogically, there is an organic linkage from Early Childhood Care and Education to post graduation studies in terms of different stages of childhood to adulthood. The importance of the early childhood years has made policy and programming for early childhood development an imperative for every nation. It is a country where 40 percent people are living in extreme poverty. There is hardly any way to alleviate poverty overnight. It needs significant and appropriate intervention. One of these interventions is education. It is the only way to fight with poverty. Because, studies reveal that around 80 percent development of brain occurs in a child between the ages of 3 to 6 years and in these times, they capture everything with extraordinary pace. Further, millions children from these poverty stricken families become victim of child labour. The approximate coverage is about 34 million children by the pre-schooling initiatives under ICDS. Though some states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh have improved their Child Development Index, still, there is a visible gap between the policy and its practices. Around 5 lakh children under the age group of 3 -6 years are still not under the umbrella of ECCE. 70% of the AWCs run in the school compound. There has to be addressed different aspects of a child like cognitive development, physical and motor development, creativity and aesthetic appreciation, scientific ways of thinking and inculcation of healthy habits. The infrastructural facilities available are also discouraging. According to Annual Survey of Education Report (ASER) 2011, Around 25,453 million children enrolled in 456994 ICDS Centres of India but only 31 percent of them attend and participate there in a regular basis. Five of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the UN Millennium Declaration relate to the health, nutrition, and education of the young child. In 1990, the Jomtien Declaration for Education for All (EFA) stated that learning starts at birth and early childhood care and education was indeed made Goal number one. A decade later the Dakar Framework for Action reaffirmed its importance and in 2010, UNESCO held the first global conference on this goal in Moscow, producing a final statement that recognized that children’s right to early childhood care and education begins at birth.The Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) have been the guideposts for planning but achieving synergy across varied sectors catering to different facets of the child’s development has remained elusive. This is reflected in the poor health and education indicators at young children. The Government of India recognizes the significance of ECCE, which has been included as a constitutional provision through the amended Article45 (The Constitution Act, 2002) which directs that “The State shall endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years”. The National Policy on Education (1986), recognizing the crucial importance of early childhood education, recommended strengthening ECCE programmes not only as an essential component of human development but also as a support to universalization of elementary education and a programme of women's development. Despite existence of multiple service provisions, there is no reliable data available about the actual number of children attending ECCE provisions and their breakup as per delivery of services/ type of services. According to the information shared by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India, out 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 Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and only 32 percent of the pre-primary age children are enrolled in education structures at this level. In eleventh Five years Plan had committed to pre-schooling with various options and development of children will be at the centre of this plan. Recently the draft of National Policy on ECCE was made to cover the issues like universal access and inclusion, ensuring Quality with Equity in ECCE and strengthening Capacity. The quality standards adhere to the philosophy of integrated approach for holistic child development, of which education/ early stimulation is an integral part. The present framework is set in the context of the National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy and National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Education. It is informed by the National Curriculum Framework Position Paper on ECCE, 2005 and other national and international work on developing minimum specifications and quality standards for ECCE. But despite its conceptual strength, the services under ECCE are still missing its set ideologies and objectives. Early childhood education our country runs by Anganwadi Workers. According to the survey report of SCAN India,there were 10.13 lakh AWCs/mini-AWCs as on 31.3.2008 which have increased to 12.42 lakh as on 31.12.2010. There are 498 Anganwadi Workers Training Centres (AWTCs) operational as on 31.12.2010.80.24 percent AWCs/ mini-AWC are in pucca buildings which includes 22 percent rented pucca buildings. 51.67 percent AWCs have drinking water facilities within the premises. 41.38 percent AWCs have toilet facilities and 25.61 percent AWCs have separate kitchen. One can know that anganwadi worker is basically a health worker their services are limited to provide immunization to new born babies, antenatal care to pregnant women and providing supplementary nutrition to children. It is obvious that, they cannot deal with the cognitive skill, instructional strategies, behavioral changes and stimulations. Clause 11 of RTE Act, 2009 makes a provision that “ with a view to prepare children above the age of 3 tears of elementary education and to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of 6 years, the appropriate government may make necessary arrangement for providing free pre-school education for such children”. ECCE has been being looked at as a major tool to reduce out of school and drop out children cases as it fosters preparedness among young minds to go to school and formal learning. So, in order to improve the quality education at elementary level, pre-school education should be made universal. - See more at: http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=39256#sthash.oIWAgQMy.dpuf
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