The Union government on Friday cleared a proposal for regulating and monitoring the quality of care and education provided to children at play schools and crèches 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.
“The new policy proposes to set standards for the care givers which will follow a set curriculum framework. It will move towards self registration to regulation,” a senior official in the ministry said.
The scheme has been tested in different states on pilot basis. The pre-school education kit that is based on play-way method also details the guidelines.
The `2,500 crore scheme will also be used for pre-school education, training and will have intensive curriculum. A national consultation on the said scheme will be held on October 3-4. The proposed policy will specify the minimum qualifications required for teachers at all such centres which have to be registered with the government under this policy. Under the policy, a curriculum framework and quality standards have to be developed.