The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education has reiterated directions to all the state governments and Union Territory (UT) administrations to align their age of admission for grade one to six years.
The States have also been advised to initiate the process of designing and running a two years Diploma in Preschool Education (DPSE) course in their State and UT. The course is expected to be designed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and run/ implemented through District Institute of Education and 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 three to eight years that includes three years of pre-school education and two years of early primary grade one and grade two. The policy thus promotes seamless learning and development of children from pre-school to grade two. 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 preschool centers.
Besides, 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 last year in 2022.