EXCERPTS:
NEW DELHI: Government cleared a proposal for regulating and monitoring the quality of care and education provided to children at play schools and creches across the country.
The Cabinet approved the draft policy of the National Early Childhood Care and Education ( NECCE) for setting up of a national council to establish guidelines for the standardisation of teaching and learning aids, trained manpower, sanitation and hygiene norms etc in play schools and day care centres.
It specify the minimum qualification required to be teachers at such centres and all the centres have to be registered with the government under this policy.
Under the policy, a curriculum framework and quality standards have to be developed and circulated to the states for preparation of action plans and implementation by them.
It also includes setting up penal provisions in case of non-compliance of these guidelines.
The policy would be implemented through National and state ECCE Councils but the Ministry of Women and Child Development will have the power to make necessary changes in it.
The policy would help 158.7 million children under six years of age who need holistic and integrated early childhood care.
-reprinted from the Economic Times