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Towards ‘Schoolification’ of Early Childhood Years
The recommendations of the draft National Education Policy 2019 regarding early childhood care and education reduce it to school preparedness, effectively risking all the achievements made so far in this sector. If implemented as such, the comprehensive approach of the National ECCE Policy 2013, where care, nutrition, health, and early learning are seen as inseparable elements assuring the holistic development of a child will give way to a split-system where early education is prioritised at the cost of all other components, raising fears of “schoolification” of early childhood years.
Way back in 2005, the National Curriculum Framework (henceforth NCF) succinctly captured the fundamental flaw in our education system when it noted: the “future” of the child has taken centre stage to the near exclusion of the child’s “present.” Recommendations of the draft National Education Policy (DNEP) 2019 for reforming early childhood care and education (ECCE) are unfortunately beset with the same structural defect. Despite recognising the essentiality of quality ECCE in the holistic development of a child, its fixation with “investing” in the child’s future poses the risk of diluting the gains made so far.
Skewed Objectives
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