Compulsory Early Childhood Care
Context:
A Private Member’s Resolution was recently moved in the Rajya Sabha urging the government to amend the Constitution to introduce a new Article 21B.
The proposed article seeks to guarantee free and compulsory Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for all children between the ages of three and six years.
The resolution highlights the need to strengthen Anganwadi services to ensure universal access to quality ECCE.
Current Legal Status:
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, currently guarantees free and compulsory education as a fundamental right only for children aged 6 to 14 years under Article 21A.
For children below 6 years, ECCE is currently a Directive Principle of State Policy (Article 45)
It states that the “State shall endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years”.
It is not a justiciable fundamental right yet.
NEP 2020 Provisions for ECCE:
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognizes ECCE as the foundation of learning and aims for universal provisioning of quality ECCE by 2030.
New Curricular Structure (5+3+3+4):
It introduces a Foundational Stage of 5 years, covering ages 3 to 8 years.
This stage is divided into two parts:
3 years of Anganwadi/pre-school/Balvatika (ages 3-6).
2 years of primary school (Grades 1 & 2; ages 6-8).
Implementation Models:
ECCE will be delivered through a mix of:
Standalone Anganwadis.
Anganwadis co-located with primary schools.
Pre-primary sections in existing primary schools.
Standalone pre-schools.
The NCERT is mandated to develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for ECCE (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8.
Prior to age 5, every child will move to a Preparatory Class or Balvatika (before Class 1) with an ECCE-qualified teacher.