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General Category: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Holistic Skills for Early Childhood Education in India

With the acceptance of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and subsequent developments such as National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (Nipun Bharat) by the Government of India, the country has redefined the early years for education as covering children between 3–5-year-olds to 3-8year-olds, which is close to a widely acceptable definition […]

Scoping Study: Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment of Foundational Learning in India

With the acceptance of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and subsequent developments such as National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN BHARAT) by the Government of India, the country has redefined the early years for education as covering children between 3–5 year-olds to 3-8 year-olds, which is close to a widely […]

Scoping Study: Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment of Foundational Learning in India to Provide a Road Map to Incorporate Holistic Skill Development

This project examines the concept of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) in Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Following the conception of holistic development of children as envisaged in the NEP 2020, this project looks into the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the breadth of skills required for holistic development, unlike the older conceptions, which were limited to literacy and numeracy. Six models of ECCE (Government and Non-government) in both rural and urban areas of Maharashtra and Rajasthan will be identified. The project aims to develop a deeper understanding of the pedagogy and delivery of ECD in those particular models.

Comparative Assessment of Child Budget in Eight Indian States

Children are at risk of not developing their full potential, stemming from the disruption in essential child development related services especially early childhood development (ECD) owing to pandemic related fiscal stress on the union and state governments. School closures have caused serious learning losses, and also mental health issues for school-age children calling for immediate and appropriate attention. Therefore, promoting and supporting the protection and expansion of financing for child related services, including addressing the public financing bottlenecks that hinder the equitable implementation of child development becomes the utmost priority.

Commitments to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Convention on Rights of Child (CRC) apart from our own constitutional rights make it imperative for India to ensure that adequate public expenditure is made for children’s well-being. Regular assessment and augmentation of public expenditure on children holds the key. The National Policy for Children in 2013 said that it is important to ‘track allocation and utilization of resources and their impact on outcomes for children with regard to budgets and expenditures on children by all related Ministries and Departments’.

Analysis of the child budget statements, therefore becomes imperative to (i) gauge the comprehensiveness and robustness of the respective approaches, (ii) understand the commitments of the state governments towards the welfare of children and (iii) ensure that the investments of the children are ring fenced during the times of fiscal stress such as the covid-19 pandemic. This is also expected to help the related departments such as Women and Child Development, and Education Or Health, to monitor the child development indicators and public expenditure on children in relation to SDGs more efficiently.

The overarching objectives of the critical review of the Child Budget documents coming from eight states is:

(i) to assess the comprehensiveness and robustness of the approaches and methodologies adopted for preparing these documents from both a comparative perspective and also from the viewpoint of best practices (national and international) with focus on early learning, nutrition and ECD.

(ii) to undertake a sectoral trend and pattern analysis for spending on children including specific sectors, especially focusing on ECCE, ECD, Nutrition, immunization and health while also mapping these against SDGs, and

(iii) to arrive at a standard Methodology/ Framework for preparing Child Budgets in Indian state, based on experiences from within India and international best practices.

Mapping of Select State and Union Government Ministry and Department Programmes and Schemes including Budget and Expenditure for Children’s Education

CBPS undertook a study that aimed to comprehensively map relevant programmes and schemes related to children’s education, and analyse the budget and expenditures of the same. Multiple Ministries and departments offer various programmes and schemes, with differing amounts of resources and budgets allocated to them. Some schemes have been interlinked with or subsumed under others, […]

Adaptive Behaviour Among Pre-School Children: Constructing Contextually Relevant Assessment Tools

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) has gained significant global attention due to its critical role in child development and long-term societal benefits. Research from neuroscience and developmental psychology highlights sensitive periods in early brain development, influencing lifelong outcomes (Woodhead, 2006). The rationale for investing in ECCE extends beyond educational improvements to encompass economic returns, […]