NPE Recommendation 1

NPE 2019.

Recommendation 1

The minimum age for admission of a child in the formal education system has been reduced from the existing six years to three years. In this way, the NEP has proposed to integrate existing 'play schools' with the formal education system. Thus a new education structure of 5+3+3+4 has been presented for the students of 3 to 18 years of age.

Comments:

• Mrs. SHAKILA BANU.
Many school has already the pre schools in CBSE AND ICSE boards. But in state board pre schools are not part of the above structure.In karnataka government schools run from class one and there primary and higher primary very common and high school I,e higher secondary separate. Very few government school have primary higher primary and secondary in one place .many government schools are run in kannada medium and urdu medium and there Tamil and Telugu medium in few areas.The present government has come out with English medium schools and they have proposed Nursery schools also.

For private schools this NEP structure  may not have much to do and yes for government it has lot to take up and change.

•Mr. Dilip Das: I don't agree, I have written my recommendations  in my.govt site.

•Mrs Asha Mittal UNV: I feel this is a welcome step as it will reduce the extra financial and the mental burden on the parents as they don't have to spend extra time and money for shifting the child from the Play school to the Primary / Senior School.
At the same time, the child will also be more comfortable and settled under the care of the same set of the teachers.

•Mr. Neeraj Mohan Puri UNV:
Vocationalisation as against traditional 5 subjects English, Maths, Science, Social  and Language would be wonderful move. If  students are allowed to select any 4_5 subjects per semester as per their career aspirations, perhaps the outcome would be tremendous. This will also promote the interest of pupil in studies.

•Mrs. Bhanu Sharma:
I feel this can bring change in preprimary education. This might give defined syllabus/curriculum to preschoolers. Usually, It is seen that syllabus varies from one school to another. Parents end up comparing schools in terms of syllabus rather than the quality of education. Preschoolers are being forced to overwrite without giving much concern on their holistic development.

•Mrs. Nidhi Kulshreshtha :
In todays educational scenario in India, children are going to school as early as 1.5 years... In the name of keeping up with the trend, boasting of where the kid goes to convenience as parents are working.

The entire playgroup sector is dominated by the private bodies and there is no control or monitoring at all. The fees is exorbitant... Disproportionate at many places to quality.
A lot of mandates are conveniently flouted as well, though the picture shown is rosy.

I am in favour of exposure of the maximum to all kids upto 5 years as it is scientifically proven that the brain can grasp anything and everything in these years.

If the policy is in place, there will be proper regulations right from the formative years and thus mushrooming of these at every nook and corner will be monitored.

There are many schools running in spaces of garages etc...

And as rightly pointed out, it eases transition to primary as well.

Another aspect will be the control of the books been used. Pre primary study material comes at sky rocketing price... As they have to catchy, colourful child friendly etc With policy implementation, this will see a change as well.

I hope the policy stresses on the exposure to the natural environment and vital aspects of living too so that we raise the gen z in tandem with the education revolution 4.0

•Mrs. Durga Nair UNV: According to my point of view, formal education shall be started from the age of 6 which is the existing age pattern in most of the foreign countries. A child could be present physically and mentally with sound habitual activities only at this level. Here I'm not mentioned about all the children of that particular age, some are exemption amongst that. On my view, a child at the age of 3 needs more care, affection and sophistication which they would get in a home feel environment.

• Mrs Jemi Sudhakar UNV:.This is amazing to state that Pre school educital to address economic development.

Holistic child development includes all
aspects of survival, development, learning
and participation. It encompasses not
only verbal and intellectual skills and
knowledge, but also social abilities,
health and nutritional status.14
School readiness is embedded within
holistic development. For example, child
health is strongly associated with learning.
Undernourished and stunted children, for
example, often underperform in school.

Children who are caretakers for siblings lack
adequate rest or suffer other risk factors
that deny them the benefits of the school
environment. Lack of antenatal care, poor
nutrition, low birthweight and lack of routine
immunizations have been linked with poorer
school outcomes and performance..

•AZEEZ UNV: Is it achievable ?

•Mrs. Jemi UNV: Yes. Very well... So,when we focus on domains of development with appropriate approach...Its achievable since ...School readiness is embedded within
holistic development. For example, child
health is strongly associated with learning.
Undernourished and stunted children, for example, often underperform in school.
Children who are caretakers for siblings lack
adequate rest or suffer other risk factors
that deny them the benefits of the school
environment. Lack of antenatal care, poor
nutrition, low birthweight and lack of routine
immunizations have been linked with poorer
school outcomes and performance.
Holistic development is essential for
children’s preparedness for school and their
ability to participate in different learning
environments. The strong link between
holistic child development and school readiness underscores the importance of
integrated, multisectoral Early childhood Development programmes that unite health, education and protection, guaranteeing all children a strong start to life.
I have checked it Sir. Next important factor is..  Teachers....Teachers’ professional qualifications  have been linked with overall classroom  quality. Primary schoolteachers with early  childhood training are more effective in the  early grades. Equipped with information  on how young children learn and develop,  they help ease the transition of children  and families to schools much more  than teachers who lack this background.  

Teachers with early childhood training
are more likely to use developmentally
appropriate practices in the classroom. An
investment in primary teacher education
with an emphasis on early childhood pays
great dividends for educational efficiency
and student learning.

Next one is Assessment..
School readiness assessments ascertain
whether a child is prepared for the formal
learning environment. Where a screening
tool finds no developmental delay or risk,
it may still not indicate preparedness for
formal learning. Instruments that determine
families’ readiness for schools and vice
versa must reach well beyond screening
for deficiency, assessing factors particularly
indicative of readiness.
At last...Ensuring that school readiness  measures show reliability (they are  replicable over time); predictive validity  (they predict school performance);  and construct validity (they are  applicable across diverse groups  both within and among countries)..If Preschool in integrated with the main stream .Of education.

•AZEEZ UNV:Practical difficulties if any? Please

•Mrs. Jemi Sudhakar UNV: Mainly practical difficulties are found in assessment only so, here are modes and methods of assessment... While preparing for school readiness. With respect to school readiness, there are several frequently used methods:
a. Direct assessments of the child’s performance, behaviour and abilities.
In this type of measurement, the child
is tested, either through an interview or by responding behaviourally to a set of questions and stimuli.
For example, the child completes a block puzzle or reads a book.
b. Teacher and parent report. Teachers and
parents are given surveys or interviewed
about children’s school readiness or the school’s readiness for children.
c. Observation. The evaluator directly
observes situations and/or children using a structured or unstructured protocol.
The goal of observation is to capture behaviours that might not typically be elicited via a test, interview or survey.
d. Combination of formal and informal methods, for example, observations used in conjunction with a parent or teacher report. The child’s age, the purpose and resource availability influence the selection of the method.

•AZEEZ: How can be rectified ?

•Mrs. Jemi Sudhakar UNV:
We should be very careful...When selecting an instrument, it is
imperative to understand if the instrument
assesses readiness of children in relation
to a set of criteria or against a standardized
population norm.
If a school system sets an entry-age criterion
for incoming students, for instance, all children entering school would have to meet that entry age. A locally developed
‘achievement test’ is criterion-referenced if it
measures what the school district or teacher has decided children need to know. In order
to set criteria, validated research should determine if the criterion is correct and
whether children who meet the criterion do
better in school than those who do.

•Binny Singh:
Wonderful writeup. Very useful.

•Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Menon T UNV:  

My view is that formal education should begin only at the age of 6. Pre School should not be integrated with formal education system . Preschools should have an homely atmosphere different from formal schools, because at a tender age of 3  a child is leaving his mother's lap and entering a totally new and strange atmosphere.  Each child is unique and needs are different therefore a preschool  should have a child friendly environment where the child can develop at his own pace, which is not possible in a formal school. No rigid rules should be there in these schools for the child to experience a joyful learning.

•Dr. Amzad Razal:Also good for those edupreneurs to start good business of Play Schools in and around the cities.