Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla has urged the Centre to lend a helping hand to the states for upgrading school infrastructure thereby making them competitive and comparable with private sector.

Singla, addressing the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) meeting chaired by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Saturday evening to finalise Draft National Education Policy (DNEP), appreciated CABE’s contribution for bringing out meaningful changes in the country’s education system with prime focus of improving its educational status.

Highlighting the significance of Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE), Singla pointed out that DNEP had rightly focussed on making it an inseparable part of School Education by the year 2025. “Capt Amarinder Singh’s Government has already launched free pre-school education by integrating it with primary schools way back in November 2017,” Singla pointed out adding that over 2.40 lakh students were currently enrolled under this in the State.

He also advocated the extension of Right to Education (RTE) Act to include ECCE.

Pertinently, DNEP 2019 suggests to prepare curriculum and pedagogical framework of guidelines for three to eight years old (foundational stage) for parents as well as anganwaris and pre-primary schools.

Referring to the proposal of professional qualified educators for ECCE, Singla urged that the idea should be conceptualized in the spirit of a joint venture between the Centre and the states rather than leaving it to states only.

“If it is left to states, only some states may not be able to induct pre-school system in their education system for multiplicity of reasons which would result in inter-state disparities having adverse compounding impact on the learning levels of the children,” he pointed out.

The Minister also requested the meeting to examine the feasibility of bringing ECCE within MHRD preview at the national level and under the Department of School Education in states. He also suggested that it would be better if pre-primary is integrated with primary stage of schooling.

Singla also lauded Centre for bringing out New Education Policy by making fundamental changes in the existing education as a whole by adopting a consultative approach and putting the Draft Policy for critical analysis and suggestions before its finalization.

The Minister also requested the meeting to examine the feasibility of bringing ECCE within preview of MHRD at the national level and under the Department of School Education in States. He suggested that it would be better if pre-primary is integrated with primary stage of schooling.

As Punjab has proactively taken initiative to start pre-schooling in all the primary schools,  NCERT should immediately design NCTE approved six-month special training course for in-service teachers or EGS volunteers to enable them to handle pre-school children professionally, the Minister stressed.

The Minister suggested that RTE norms should remain a mandatory requirement and the Centre should not go ahead loosening the input restrictions of the Act for Government and non Government philanthropic organisations to build schools which would dilute the quality of education.