Early Childhood Stimulation and Education 

Child Policy 2014

Age-group from Birth to 6 years

In recognition of the significance of the early years in human development and specifically, brain development, as also in consonance with Section 11 of the Right To Education (RTE) Act 2009, the State shall take measures to:

1. Provide opportunities for home-based Caregiver Education for holistic child care, including messages on psychosocial stimulation for the pre-natal to 3 years age group.
2. Evaluate the implementation of the National Crèche Scheme and bring improvement to promote crèche services with adequate infrastructure, trained caregivers, and appropriate play materials.
3. Universalise facilities for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for all children below 6 years of age.
4. Strengthen the ECCE component of ICDS, to provide developmentally appropriate play-based Early Childhood Education for 3-6-year-olds, delivered through trained teachers and AWWs, to foster development in all domains - physical, sensory-motor, cognitive, language, social, emotional, and creative.
5. Provide the necessary infrastructure, toys, and early learning materials for the transaction of play-based Early Childhood Education, with a desirable teacher-pupil ratio, together with a trained helper.
6. To start child guidance and counseling centers at school, police station, village, Panchayat, Panchayat samiti etc.
7. Build capacity for high-quality teacher training for AWWs, and enhance the accountability of various categories of functionaries for effective implementation and monitoring of Early Childhood Education within ICDS.
8. To established regulatory statutory authorities to look after E.C.C.E. Centres and crèches run by the private agency.
9. To develop and adhere to Quality Standards for Early Childhood care Education working under I.C.D.S. Anganwadis.

Education and Development (Age Group six years and above)

1. Every child has an equal right to learning, knowledge, and education. The State recognizes its responsibility to secure this right for every child, with due regard for special needs, through access, provision, and promotion of required environment, information, infrastructure, services, and supports, towards the development of the child’s fullest potential, conforming to the norms and standards laid down for the same. Learning shall be through activities, discovery, and exploration in a child-friendly and child-centered manner.
2. To develop regulations for children engaged in reality shows, circus, and other such activities.
3. To create awareness, to prevent abuse and use of children during festivals and celebrations.
4. The state shall take appropriate steps to include the subjects related to food and health after designing in the syllabus from 1st to 12th standard and for implementation this a time-bound action point and plan shall evolve.

Ensuring Right to Education

1. To ensure the implementation of the Right to Education Act, 2009, and to provide equal opportunity of education to all children from 6 to 14 years and prevent child labor and child begging.
2. To provide the opportunity for all-round development of children’s personality, including expression of creativity as a part of formal education.
3. To have enrolment campaigns during the beginning of the academic session every year to cover children who may be hard to reach out including migrant children, pavement dwellers, tribal children, etc.
4. Mainstream all out-of-school children including, migrants, living on the streets, tribal children, etc. in formal school and preventing them from dropping out.
5. To build schools in areas inhabited by D.N.T. and V.J.N.T. communities, hamlets, tandas, slums, etc. where there may be a sizeable number of children.
6. To ensure that all children in schools, reach the minimum level of learning.
7. To ensure effective implementation of mid-day meal scheme by focussing more on those who are vulnerable.
8. To provide access to vocational and life skill training initiated by the Government to all children.
9. To provide State-sponsored vocational and life skills training to all children including vulnerable groups like migrants, children in conflict with the law, children with disabilities, girl children, etc. Special support may be required to facilitate inclusion of such children in skill development programs.
10. To upgrade the quality of teacher education for vocational training and skill development of children by providing specialist knowledge and training to vocational teachers.
11. To ensure updated and best facilities for Information Technology (IT) and MIS in schools.
12. To ensure secular and quality education in a non-discriminatory environment for all children as mandated by RTE Act 2009.
13. To provide quality education to ensure children from every stratum can study in Government, semi-government or voluntary state-authorized education institutions.
14. To make counseling services available for substance abuse and other abuse-related issues and child trauma management at block and school level.
15. To impart Life skills training including relevant legal provisions and information on protection issues to prevent sexual abuse, trafficking, child marriage, etc. to children, parents, and teachers.
16. To create mechanisms to prevent and address corporal punishment and other discriminatory practices in schools.
17. Ensure that no nicotine and other addictive substances are distributed/ sold to children under any circumstances in any location and display boards in the vicinity of schools to build awareness on the prohibition of addictive substances.
18. Mandatory Training to all School Management Committee members on RTE Act and Rules should be made mandatory.
19. To strengthen research centers for the development of pedagogy and learning aids in view of the changing environment for all children and particularly for children with special needs
20. To develop Quality Standards for the assessment of children and put in place remedial programs to ensure that children complete elementary education and acquire the requisite learning level.
21. To ensure separate toilets for girls and access to drinking water and soap.
22. Promote timely awareness on menstrual hygiene management for girls between 11 to 18 years of age and have special campaigns on the same.
23. Adapt School infrastructure to receive children with disabilities including ramps, audiovisual equipment, books, and reading material, Braille’s, etc. and improve the facilities in existing schools.
24. Every district to have a group of special educators to meet the special needs of children with physical or mental disabilities.
25. Maintain MIS in all schools and also centrally, to track every child in the state, about their performance, attendance that will help to understand if there are any dropouts or migration or children getting into labor, begging, etc.
26. Undertake a review of the Rules of RTE Act and update them periodically to address emerging challenges.
27. To arrange for the education of children in conflict with the law.
28. To open schools and to arrange educational facilities at those places where members of minority communities reside and there is the availability of school-going children, on the lines of that for SC/ST.