EARLY YEARS EDUCATION: THE HYPE AND REALITY

The preschool market’s size is expected to reach US$1.8 billion by 2015. It has a gross enrollment ratio of ~3.5% (witha base of ~130 million children in the age group of 0–4 years). (Source Eduletter August 2012 EY Strategic Consulting Group in Education: Sector update )  Corporates drool over these numbers as it represents a opportunity for creating attractive business models that can be rapidly scaled.

Hence an explosion in the number of companies those provide franchising opportunity for setting up preschool. However, most of these are focused on bottom line and return on investment. So marketing rather than on the quality of curriculum, teacher training or even right infrastructure becomes the focus of such companies. All of us have seen fancy preschools painted in the most lurid colours, decorated with cartoon characters claiming to have curriculum based on Multiple intelligences, experiential learning or Montessori approach. Yet a peek into the classrooms will reveal children sitting on their desk and writing numbers or letters or merely colouring figures. 

On the other hand the Government has launched the ICDS national development program, one of the largest in the world to reach less privileged children aged 0-6 years. The scheme has several lofty objectives including Nutrition and Health Education, Immunization, Early Childhood Care and Pre-school Education. However, on ground realities clearly indicate that it has been reduced to providing supplementary nutrition and immunization. The Early learning component of the scheme is often neglected.  Research studies have shown several interesting findings in this regard. For example more girls than boys attend the AWCs. This finding is not a precursor for some dramatic social change. Delving deeper into the cause it was found that parents preferred to send boys to attend private schools especially in urban areas and towns for PSE because private schools were perceived as doing a better job of teaching them.. – An appraisal by NIPCCD (2006).

We must remember is that preschools are about children and about laying a strong foundation for learning and life.

Experts and decision makers need to bring the focus back on what is right for children