Education
Shri Sanjay Kumar Chairs a Meeting on Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE)
In a collaborative push towards achieving the broader objectives of Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE), Secretary of School Education & Literacy, Shri Sanjay Kumar, chaired a comprehensive meeting at the Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), various states, and autonomous bodies under the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L).
Setting the tone, Shri Kumar emphasised the critical role of all stakeholders in ensuring quality ECCE and commended the initiatives led by the MoWCD and states. He underscored the need for establishing three Balvatikas for children aged 3 to 6 in all CBSE and Kendriya Vidyalayas with Class 1 to ensure a seamless transition to primary education. He also advocated for co-locating Anganwadis with primary schools in rural areas through coordination with the MoWCD, aiming to provide a strong foundation in preschool education.
The group further explored the integration of Jaadui Pitara, a curated set of learning resources, into government schools offering pre-primary education. NCERT’s role in aligning the learning toys with the goals outlined in the National Curriculum Framework-Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) was highlighted. To streamline pre-primary to Class 1 transitions, the Ministry of Education and MoWCD were encouraged to link the Poshan Tracker and UDISE+ data, creating a cohesive tracking mechanism.
Brand recognition for programmes like NIPUN Bharat, Jaadui Pitara, e-Jaadui Pitara, and Vidya Pravesh was also identified as a priority to boost their visibility and impact across states. The adoption of Jaadui Pitara by state SCERTs will be supported by NCERT, ensuring compliance with designated learning outcomes.
In the meeting, the importance of training preschool teachers and Anganwadi Workers was brought to the forefront, recognising their critical role in achieving a well-rounded ECCE framework. The session emphasised the collaboration between MoE and MoWCD to ensure transparency and efficiency through Requests for Proposals (RFPs) while procuring Jaadui Pitara materials.
With these strategies outlined, the meeting paved the way for a concerted, multi-level approach to early childhood education, striving for a seamless, inclusive, and quality experience for every child.