Lack of infra, funds, COVID delay new pre-KG syllabus launch

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) was entrusted to create a comprehensive curriculum and pedagogy for preschool education based on a holistic perspective, which was released in 2018 to get feedback from the stakeholders.

A senior SCERT official said that the main objective for the initiative was to provide an integrated set of experiences to foster holistic growth and development in all domains – cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language development. The plan was also to develop a good physique with adequate muscular coordination and basic motor skills in the child, and also to inculcate healthy habits besides developing readiness for schooling.

Pointing out that several interesting classroom procedures were introduced for pre-KG students, he said daily schedule was also introduced for preschool education from 9 am to 4 pm. There are different timespans to impart various skills among the students. For instance, circle time would provide an opportunity for the students to listen, speak and sing songs.

However, it was not implemented due to lack of infrastructure, especially in the government schools, the official said. “Release of funds were also delayed. Only a very few schools, especially self-financing institutions, have implemented it,” he said.

The new syllabus was prepared by teachers, Social Welfare Department and Integrated Child Development Services officials, and experts from New Delhi, he said, adding that there were several inquiries from academicians for the last two years whether the scheme would be implemented.

PK Ilamaran, president, Tamil Nadu Teachers Association, pointed out that the scheme was welcomed by all stakeholders, and urged the government to implement the new syllabus.

The SCERT official also said that the suggestions received from stakeholders after it was officially uploaded in the portal have not been compiled yet. “Due to pandemic situation since March 2020, the government was not able to concentrate on the launch of the scheme officially,” he noted.