Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Thursday that the government is going to introduce a program shortly to guarantee the general development of children in the three to six age range. "This initiative highlights the state government's commitment to providing quality early childhood education and ensuring the holistic development and nurturing of the young minds in Himachal."
Under the scheme, the education department would implement a combination of all four Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) models recommended in the National Education Policy, 2020, Sukhu said.
He mentioned pre-primary schools for kids as young as five or six that are co-located with current primary schools, freestanding pre-primary schools, and anganwadis and anganwadis co-located with primary schools as examples of these models. According to the chief minister, the state government presently oversees 6,297 pre-primary sections in primary schools, serving 2,377 anganwadis that are co-located with these primary schools and approximately 60,000 students.
He said under the 'Himachal Pradesh Early Childhood Care and Education Tutor Scheme', the state government would engage ECCE tutors for all 6,297 schools, adhering to the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) norms. He reiterated the state government's commitment to improving educational accessibility by ensuring quality education closer to students' homes, announcing that the recruitment of various categories of teachers will commence soon to prevent any disruption in studies due to teacher shortages.
The program is designed to ensure the holistic development of children aged three to six, focusing on quality early childhood education.
The program will implement a mix of four ECCE models as recommended in the National Education Policy, 2020.
The state government manages 6,297 pre-primary sections in primary schools and 2,377 anganwadis co-located with these primary schools, serving around 60,000 students.
ECCE tutors will be engaged for all 6,297 schools under the 'Himachal Pradesh Early Childhood Care and Education Tutor Scheme,' adhering to National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) norms.
The state government will soon begin recruiting various categories of teachers to prevent any disruption in studies due to teacher shortages, ensuring educational accessibility and quality education closer to students' homes.