The Promising Policy Developments and Challenges for

Teacher/Caregiver EducationVenita Kaul

CECED, Ambedkar University, Delhi

The Presentation 1. Why is more professionalisation needed in

ECCE? Evidence to support.

2. What are emerging areas of priority and need for personnel?

3. Is the policy and programmatic framework in ECCE in India supportive?

4. What is the status of ECCE vis a vis quality and personnel preparation?

5. Some emerging innovations, some anomalies and reflections …….

WHY ECCE? Evidence from Neuro -Science

The brain growth curve

Scientific evidence

The Continuum of Learning and Development

Evidence from Neuro-Science

Why School Readiness? Children who start behind, stay behind

Theoretical line of

development for

advantaged children

Theoretical line of

development for

disadvantaged

children

Outcomes gap that

policies and

programmes must

attempt to fill*

Birth

-Mother’s health

-Infant’s health &

nourishment

0-3 years

-Infant’s health &

nourishment

-Cognitive

stimulation

6 – 10 years

-Quality & level of

primary education

3 – 6 years

-Quality & level

of preschool

experience

INVESTMENT IN ECD –A Powerful Equalizer

* Source: No Wolves Along the Way: towards a national ECD model in Kyrgyzstan, Hugh McLean & Rakhat Orozova, UNICEF, 2009)

Evidence: School readiness improves learning levels in elementary years

• Children with higher school readiness levels do better on learning achievement tests at age 6, 7 and 8

• There is a linear relationship between the school readiness levels of children and their learning levels at age 6, 7 and 8

School Readiness level

Learning levels age 6

Learning levels age 7

Learning levels age 8

School Readiness level

1

Learning levels age 6

.467 1

Learning levels age 7

.483 .613 1

Learning levels

.408 .505 .619 1Correlation coefficients

Emerging Areas of Priority 1. Birth -3 years critical for brain development survival, malnutrition and early stimulation.

need for parental education and personnel preparation for creches/play groups

2. Preschools with quality for 3-8 years critical for school readiness and for smooth transition to primary.

need for for professionally prepared teachers (not AWWs) for foundation years i.e. 3-8/11 years in early learning and for developing /adapting play based curriculum for making schools developmentally ready for children

3. Need for teacher educators, mentors and educational administrators/CDPOs/supervisors to be trained to complement.

Are Policies Supportive of priority for ECCE?

National Education Policy pOLICYPolicyeEEducation 19

( (1986)

• “ECCE to be child -oriented, focused around play.

• Formal methods and 3 R’s to be discouraged.

• Integration of child care and ECCE both as a feeder program and for strengthening factor for primary education.

• Professionalisation of teacher preparation through concept of field labs

National ECCE Policy 2013 Policy-2013 (2013) ( 2013

• National Curriculum

• Framework & Quality Stds

• Focal areas —access and equity; quality and institutional capacity.

• Inclusion of Care and Stimulation with focus on Early learning

• Mention of Regulation of standards &Convergence with primary schools

• Professionalisation of personnel preparation

Policies/Acts for ECCE—ECCE excluded but…..

Constitution of India (Amended Article 45) ---“The State shall endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years

•RTE –Sec 11 (2009) states, “with a view to prepare children above the age of three to six years for elementary education & to provide ECCE, appropriate Governments may make necessary arrangements for providing free pre -school education for such children”

Policies in the making

National Creche Policy

National Policy on Education

Amendment to RTE (2013)

Major programmes in ECCE1. ICDS : little/no mention of early stimulation; preschool education as 1/6 of services.

Untrained or poorly trained AWWs and helpers and supervisors /CDPOs.

2. Private Preschools: Affordable and High End.

Unregulated. No emphasis on trained teachers.Anybody can teach.

3. Sporadic NGOs —often untrained with exceptions.

School readiness levels at age 5 very low in cognitive and language domains

Telangana

Assam

Rajasthan

Total

Psycho-social skills

30.0 30.8 29.5 30.1

Cognitive & language concepts

15.9 16.9 15.5 16.1

o Psycho-social skills at acceptable levels

o Cognitive & language skills & concepts required for school deficient

o School readiness skills & concepts experience/curriculum based

o Need for age and development preschool and early primary education

Average Score out of 40

Emerging models in ECE programmes

Government run Anganwadi

Limited infrastructure and learning aids in classrooms

More children in the younger age group &lesser number of 4-6 year olds

Low participation, leading to a good teacher-pupil ratio

No schedule is followed

Private Preschool

• Better infrastructure, but very few learning aids

• Homogenous age group

• High teacher pupil ratio

• Fixed weekly schedule with supervision

• Formal teaching with rote memoation and no age appropriate activities

Innovative ECE

• Limited infrastructure, but appropriate learning materials

• Heterogeneous age group

• Preferable teacher- pupil ratio

• Flexible weekly and monthly curriculum plans

• Age and developmentally appropriate activities

Time on task analysis across models

Activity ANGANWADI PRIVATE INNOVATIVE

Planned activities for all round development Low Low Medium

Rhymes and songs High Medium High

Conversation Medium Low Medium

Formal Teaching High High High

Routine Activity High High High

Unplanned Play Low Low Low

No Activity High Medium Medium

Opportunities ANGANWADI PRIVATE INNOVATIVE

Learn to share Low Low Low

Think and answer Medium Medium Medium

Express curiosity & ask questions. Low Low Low

Learn to wait for turn Medium High Medium

Play/work with other children Low Low Medium

Rote Memory High High Medium

Significant Quality Indicators for SR

1. Physical Infrastructure

2. Classroom Planning and Organisation

Age /development Appropriate Activities

Weekly/daily schedule followed by teacher.

Classroom Arrangement

3. Democratic and Interactive Teacher

Introduces new concept in interesting manner

Asks and Encourages questions to extend thinking

4. Teaching learning process

Opportunity for (a) creative activities (b) individual /group activities (c) freechoice play with interaction (d) activities for pre number and pre reading skills

KEY IS TEACHER & Teacher Education

Conclusions from study

1.School Readiness levels at age 5 low for cognitive and language and low learning levels continue in grades 1-3.

2.One year of quality preschool at age 4 -5 makes significant difference to learning levels in primary and impact increases with quality.

3.Seamless continuity in dev appropriate curriculum and pedagogy through preschool to primary leads to optimisation of performance

4.Home factors important especially mother’s education and Asset index.

5.However, dominant pedagogy is formal instruction of 3 R’s and little differentiation from one grade to next. Untrained teachers across programmes.

6.Mentoring and Teacher Education key input for quality.

ACCESS: STATE-WISE DISTRIBUTION

Inequitable access to

ECCE Teacher

Education

Maximum Institutions in

Delhi / NCR and AP (10+)

Negligible no. in the North

East, Haryana, Punjab and

Himachal Pradesh.

No. of Institutions declining

in Gujarat, Maharashtra

due to low demand in

absence of regulation.

Vision and Quality: Findings

1. Status and compliance with NCTE regulation dis

2. Over 50 percent in private sector and unrecognised. If recognised, significant variations from norms — structure, duration, eligibility, certification, physical facilities , curriculum & profile of teacher educators.

3. Vision and theoretical framework absent. 33/39 Academic Heads unable to convey vision,except Montessori Insts. Of ten prospectus shared only 3 provided articulated philosophy and objectives.

4. Some imp. omissions in curriculum: Current policy scenario and issues in ECCE; Global knowledge, regarding ECCE eg evidence from neuroscience, constructivist approach, emergent literacy, social inclusion etc.No exposure to range of preschools.

5. Dominant classroom practices — lectures & Blackboard teaching; no professional exposure to teacher educators.

Study Recommendations

A. Strengthen Regulation of Standards

B. Improve Theory Practice Ratio–50:50

C. Involve Teacher educators in curriculum development

D. Develop/Translate Texts and materials for teacher educations and teachers

E. Preparation of Teacher Educators- no school experience?

Some Issues and Challenges in ECCE

ECD or ECCE? Issues of Addressing holistic development. -Holistic with a focus on early learning? Issue of comparative advantages.

Diversity and Inclusion—Changing Scenarios: Onset of EFA and RTE -- need for moving beyond psychological and developmental paradigms to include socio-political conceptual frames to address diversity and inclusion.

Locate ECCE in the macro perspective to understand political economy and systemic issues in ECCE. Limited world view .

Some Issues and Challenges in ECCE

Theoretical and Philosophical Framework?: Discourse regarding aims of Early Education? How to address disparity between teacher preparation and pre- school reality?

Vision for a Teacher: Do we want Teacher to be a professional or a Skilled Technician? e.g. England (skills and assessment) vs Finland (autonomy) (Sahlberg,1997)

Understanding of how children learn: Knowledge as given or constructed? Old habits die hard! Constructivist approach requires competent teachers.

Vision for Teacher Educator/Mentor : TE’s profile especially in higher learning instituions. Knowledge but no experience of young children?

Emerging Suggestions

1. Equitable distribution of TE institutions-govt /private

2. Flexibility with options of credit accumulation.

3. Increase duration for adequate field-theory linkage and experience for professional understanding

4. Locate in higher learning institutions.

5. Preparation of Creche/PlayGroup Managers/Mentors

6. Integration with Preparation of Primary Teacher education with upward continuity in content and pedagogy for sound foundation. (eg NCTE Diploma;BA/BEd)

7. Address Inadequate job opportunities and high opportunity cost