Position Paper on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

Abstract

We have neglected Pre-primary education i.e. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for a long time at an enormous cost to ourselves and the world. Early years, namely, 0 to 6 are without any doubt the most formative period of a child’s life. The social, psychological, physical and emotional aspects of a person’s life take shape during these years. Only about 20 % children in this age group in India have some access to ECCE. There is an urgent need therefore to rectify this situation. Lack of access to ECCE also implies a lower enrolment and retention in the Primary school and later education.