Time to focus on early childhood care and education
This article is authored by IV Subba Rao, Utsav Kheria and Sanjana Manaktala, policy lead, Rocket Learning.
Nearly one in five children born globally last year were Indians, and India is currently home to approximately 14 crore children under the age of six. Simultaneously, the median age of the Indian population is around 29 years, which is expected to reach around 39 years by 2047. We have a decade of demographic advantage as a short window to enrich our human capital. If we have to realise the demographic dividend, it’s imperative that we invest in people and, more importantly, in young people who will make our dream of Viksit Bharat come true. And that resolute march towards a developed Bharat begins with the care and education of eight crore young children. It begins with the 14 lakh anganwadis and nearly four lakh pre-primary schools.
Investment in early childhood is urgent, as the child of three years today will be a 16-year-old young person completing schooling and stepping out into the exciting world of further learning and the vastly transformed world of work. Our endeavour should be to create an environment for these young children to grow up to be healthy, educated, caring young persons. We must take the baby steps in our developmental journey with confidence, commitment and competence. The Amrit Kaal, the opportune moment for action, is now.
Research conclusively demonstrates that cognitive, socio-emotional, and executive function skills built before the age of six have lifelong impacts on school attainment, employment, health outcomes, and social integration. Human development begins with early childhood education (ECE) from birth until the age of six. Similar to the ways in which inadequate early nutrition causes lifelong stunting, a lack of early stimulation can lead to lower fundamental brain capacity and intelligence.
Most future spending, whether in education, skilling, or job creation, offers a lower marginal return on public investment compared to ECE. India is a young country, which can be leveraged for rapid economic growth in the years ahead. The labour market advantage provided by the world’s largest working-age population is an immense opportunity. But adequately leveraging it requires preparation, greater financial investment and systemic transformation.
India currently delivers childcare services at scale to over eight crore children under the age of six through our vast network of nearly 14 lakh government anganwadi centres. Over half of India’s children under six are receiving hot-cooked meals, take-home rations, health checkups, immunisation, and early education at these centres; 25 lakh anganwadi workers and helpers are helping them build the most basic foundational skills, preparing them for school and life. However, as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 notes, quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is not available to crores of young children, particularly children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Only one third of three to six-year-olds are receiving ECE. As a result, most of the children are entering school without adequate pre-school education and are not able to achieve grade-level competencies in primary school. In a recent longitudinal study conducted in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, it was found that a “positive and stimulating environment prevailing at home and appropriate learning opportunities during preschool years can augment a child’s developmental and cognitive abilities”.
The NEP 2020 recognises this as a key development challenge and has, therefore, set an ambitious goal of “universal provisioning of quality early childhood development, care and education must thus be achieved as soon as possible, and no later than 2030, to ensure that all students entering Grade 1 are school-ready.” Government initiatives like Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi and the new National Early Childhood Stimulation Framework and Curriculum for children from birth to three and from three to six years, Aadhar Shila, Navchetana and Bala Vatika are important steps in this direction.
The current twin challenges are extending access to all children across income levels who are not yet enrolled, i.e. universalisation, and improving the quality of ECE provided at both public and private playschools.
How do we address these challenges? There are at least six important strategies that would make a big difference in universalising quality ECCE facilities in the country.
First, expand the system to not leave any child behind. There is an estimated need for three lakh additional anganwadis across the country to meet our children’s needs. High-quality creche and playschool facilities in urban areas and industrial hubs can increase access and unlock female labour force participation. Parents can be incentivised through Direct Bank Transfers to both send their children to pre-school and to receive training to become educators themselves. Many of the unenrolled are migrant children in urban centres. While the anganwadi system is designed for rural communities, considering 93 out of 100 anganwadi beneficiaries are in rural areas – India’s population will be almost 40% urban by 2030 and 50% by 2047.
Second, increase investment through a whole-of-society approach. In the Tashkent Declaration and Commitments to Action for Transforming Early Childhood Care and Education adopted on November 16, 2022, at the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, member states of the United Nations agreed to “protect and mobilise financial resources for ECCE”. They recognised that “new measures are needed to increase funding for ECCE through increased public expenditures and well-regulated partnerships, including with the non-profit, private and social sectors.” The UNESCO Global Partnership Strategy for Early Childhood 2021-2030 also calls for an increase in investment in pre-primary education to 10% of national education budgets by 2030.
Our country must also substantially step up expenditure from the current level of about 3-4% of education spending. We need to encourage state governments, local bodies, corporate houses and philanthropists to channel resources to ECE.
Third, ensure that funds are utilised for improving quality. We also have to make sure that the funding is used impactfully. Whether it is the design of the building or the choice of furniture, toys and play equipment, the programme managers should be orientated to ensure that the centre becomes a warm, welcoming place for children and provides several exciting learning opportunities through play and engaging activities.
Fourth, enrich the learning environment and ensure at least one trained ECE teacher in every centre. Every ECE centre should have, as NEP 2020 stipulates, “a well-ventilated, well-designed, child-friendly and well-constructed building with an enriched learning environment” and at least one qualified ECCE-trained teacher. ECCE centres should be community-owned institutions that will attract funding from local bodies, corporate houses, philanthropists and civil society partners. Various options can also be examined to staff the anganwadis and bal vatikas, either by upskilling existing staff or inducting newly trained ECCE instructors. Giving care work its due recognition as skilled work and encouraging instructors to access opportunities for further learning can enhance the motivational profile of anganwadi workers.
Fifth, expand opportunities for the professional development of Anganwadi workers. If the current ECCE system must become efficient and truly world class, we will have to not only invest in improving the infrastructure in the centres but also provide opportunities for the instructors and workers to continuously update their knowledge and skills. Innovative training designs leveraging technology can help enhance the competence and confidence of the instructors.
Sixth, periodically track the achievement of development milestones. The Poshan Abhiyan of the government of India has been able to effectively track nutritional levels through the Poshan tracker. Now that the emphasis has also been placed on education with the new theme of Poshan bhi, Padhai bhi (nutrition as well as learning), a system of monitoring educational development milestones in a systematic manner has to be integrated into the tracker.
The challenge of ECCE has been recognised by the government over the last five decades, and we now have a vast system of anganwadi centres, probably one of the largest ECCE systems in the world. It’s heartening to see that NEP, 2020, enacted by the government, has given primacy to early childhood education and foundational literacy and numeracy as the key areas for concerted action. We have to bring alive this policy intent in our ECCE centres through a coordinated effort of various ministries like education, women and child development, and health, as well as an active engagement with local bodies, state governments, industrial and corporate houses, philanthropists and civil society partners.
It’s a desirable mission, it is a doable mission, and it is a mission that reminds us that the challenging aspirational journey we are embarking on to create a Viksit Bharat starts with how well the initial steps are taken. The time is just right. As Prime Minister Modi reminds us, “Yahi Samay Hai, Sahi Samay Hai” (This is, indeed, the moment). Whenever there is a lingering doubt in our minds, let us think of the millions of children who are waiting for us to create better conditions for their growth and learning.
This article is authored by IV Subba Rao, retired IAS office and former chief of literacy and non-formal education, UNESCO, Paris, Utsav Kheria, co-founder and Sanjana Manaktala, policy lead, Rocket Learning.