Education ministry asks states, UTs to align admission age for grade 1 to 6+ years
1 min read . Updated: 22 Feb 2023, 02:31 PM IST
PremiumThe National Education Policy 2020 recommends strengthening of learning of children at the ‘foundational stage’ as a national priority for the country. The foundational stage consists of five years of learning opportunities for all children between 3 and 8 years that includes three years of pre-school education and two years of early primary Grade-I and Grade-II
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday directed state governments and union territories to align admission ages for grade one to six-plus years. It also advised them to initiate the process of designing and implementing a two-year diploma course in pre-school education (DPSE).
The course is expected to be designed by State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and run/ implemented through District Institute of Education & Training (DIETs) under supervision and hold of SCERTs.
“The National Education Policy 2020 recommends strengthening of learning of children at the ‘foundational stage’ as a national priority for the country. The foundational stage consists of five years of learning opportunities for all children between 3 and 8 years that includes three years of pre-school education and two years of early primary Grade-I and Grade-II," the Ministry of Education said in a statement.
The policy, the ministry statement reiterated, promotes seamless learning and development of children from pre-school to Grade-II.
As per a statement issued by the ministry, this can only be done by ensuring accessibility to three years of quality preschool education for all children studying in anganwadis or government/government-aided, private and NGO run pre-school centers.
The most important factor at the foundational stage is the availability of qualified teachers who are specially trained in the age and developmentally appropriate curriculum and pedagogy.
The National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage(NCF-FS) was launched in October 2022.