Page 44 - EducationWorld March 2022

Cover Story

for 2,000 children of slum dwellers in
Bengaluru, has developed a tripartite
model involving the state government,
NGOs and enlightened corporates to
upgrade government schools.
“Our first intervention with gov-
ernment schools began in 2018 when
our Parikrma Education Transforma-
tion Centre provided training to 2,500
teachers in several urban government
schools. Having observed the impact
of our training the state government
invited us to help in the overall up-
gradation of several of their schools.
Under this arrangement, we adopted
four government schools in Bengaluru
and upgraded them with the financial
support of corporates. Under this
programme, our latest experiment Anganwadi centre: huge national upgradation effort required
with Ajax Engineering Ltd, PHF and
the government, is to develop a model — an area of darkness in Indian edu- tion’s globally renowned economists
government school incorporating the cation — impacted government and and pundits to figure out, though
reforms proposed by NEP, 2020 — to the public. To the extent that on the annually while commenting on the
translate policy into practice and re- recommendation of the K. Kasturiran- Union Budget, your editors have been
search into reality. The results of this gan Committee, the National Educa- providing a schema which has not elic-
initiative are very satisfying. Enrol- tion Policy 2020 has incorporated five ited any response for or against (see
ment has increased by 40 percent and years of ECCE into the new formal pg.45). Yet it is reassuring that while
we have been able to win the trust of 5+3+3+4 school education system. presenting the Union Budget 2022-23
the parent community. We have also This means that five years of pre-pri- finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman
introduced art, sports, psychological mary education has become compul- promised to upgrade 200,000 AWCs
counselling apart from experiential sory for all children under the Right christened saksham anganwadis de-
learning of regular subjects. We have of Children to Free & Compulsory scribed as “new generation anganwa-
succeeded in winning the trust and Education (RTE) Act, 2009. This also dis that have better infrastructure and
cooperation of government school translates into the country’s 1.6 mil- audio-visual aids, powered by clean
teachers to enable them to adopt lion Central government-promoted energy and providing improved envi-
new teaching-learning pedagogies. anganwadi centres (AWCs) — essen- ronment for early child development”.
I believe it is possible and necessary tially nutrition centres for newborns In line with this, provision for the free
to upgrade and develop government and lactating mothers — being trans- mid-day meals scheme and AWCs
schools under this tripartite model,” formed into pre-primaries obliged to has been increased by 1.3 percent to
says Bose. dispense formal ECCE. Rs.20,263 crore.
However, it’s important to note
7 Boost ECCE, anganwadis that the country’s 1.6 million AWCs 8 Increase annual expenditure
run jointly by the Centre and state
on education to 6 percent
and mid-day meals
governments accommodate only 85 of GDP
subject on which Education- million of the 164 million children in
A World can derive legitimate the 0-5 age group. Therefore, a huge ifty-five years ago a high-powered
pride for having moved the needle of national effort is required to accom- Fcommission of academics chaired
public policy is early childhood care modate the estimated 80 million chil- by Dr. D.S. Kothari, chairman of the
and education (ECCE). After your dren in the 3-7 age group to whom the University Grants Commission, rec-
editors staged over a dozen national State is obliged to provide free and ommended that annual expenditure
and international ECCE conferences compulsory ECCE under NEP 2020. on education (Centre plus states)
and introduced the annual EW In- How and when required resources should be “at least 6 percent of GDP”.
dia Preschool Rankings in 2010, the for investment in ECCE-cum-primary This was reiterated by the National
critical importance of professionally education, described as ‘foundational Education Policy 1986 revised in
administered pre-primary education literacy’ in NEP 2020, is for the na- 1992, the Subramanian Committee

44 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2022