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Education Ministry asks States, UTs to align entry age for grade 1 to 6+ years

 


The National Education Policy 2020 recommends strengthening children's learning at the 'foundational level' as a national priority for the country. The foundational stage consists of five years of learning opportunities for all children between the ages of 3 and 8, including three years of pre-school education and two years of early primary grade-I and grade-II.

New Delhi: The Center on Wednesday directed state governments and union territories to align the entry age from grade one to over six years. It also advised them to initiate the process of designing and implementing a two-year Diploma course in Pre-School Education (DPSE).

The curriculum 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 (DIET) under the supervision and holding of SCERT.

“The National Education Policy 2020 recommends strengthening children's learning at the 'Foundation Level' as a national priority for the country. The foundational stage consists of five years of learning opportunities for all children in the age group of 3 to 8 years, comprising three years of pre-school education and two years of early primary grade-I and grade-II," the education ministry said in a statement. said in the statement.

The policy, the ministry's statement reiterated, promotes seamless learning and development of children from pre-school to grade-II.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, this can only be done by ensuring access to three years of quality pre-school education for all children studying in anganwadis or pre-school centers run by government/government-aided, private and NGOs.

The most important factor at the foundational level is the availability of qualified teachers who are specially trained in age and developmentally appropriate curriculum and pedagogy.

The National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) was launched in October 2022.

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