For the first time ever, Maharashtra government is in process to bring pre-primary or nursery schools under its umbrella.
Recently, the state administration received a draft proposal incorporating pre-primary education into the ambit of law from the Commissioner of Education's office.
The State Education Commissioner has confirmed that work is being done to pass it in the next budget session so that it can be put into effect in the following school year. State Education Commissioner Suraj Mandhare said that last week, the draft was sent to the state administration. In the upcoming budget session, they are working on getting it passed. As a result, the law will apply to all pre-primary schools (kindergartens and nurseries) in the state. Following the adoption of the draft and the passage of legislation, these schools will have to obtain the state’s approval.
Mandhare said that pre-primary schools are already accessible to all in the state. However, as they were never included in official schooling, they were not subject to any laws or guidelines. They differ greatly in terms of curriculum, services provided, and other operational aspects. While some are merely businesses, others perform truly good work. Since pre-primary classes will now be a part of the foundation stage of formal education, an act will be a little more effective.
In addition to ensuring that the curriculum is implemented effectively, the act will clarify a number of other issues, including the student-teacher ratio, the timing of the schools, and approvals for running pre-primary schools. It will function similarly to the current system of regulation that governs ordinary schools for grades 1 and up. Given that these schools educate students starting at a very young age, they will have some freedom.
As of now, no regulating agency has jurisdiction over pre-primary schools, nurseries, or kindergartens, which predominantly educate children between the ages of three and six. Moreover, it is uncertain how many of these establishments are built in Maharashtra.
In 1996, the Maharashtra Pre-School Centers (Regulation of Admission) Act was created by the state government to address several issues raised by people. Under political pressure, the legislation was withdrawn even before it was put into effect.
The Bombay High Court's Aurangabad bench issued an order in 2017 mandating that the Maharashtra government create a policy by December 31 to regulate pre-primary institutions across the state. Since then, there have been initiatives to put this policy into effect.
Another critical step in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) is putting pre-primary education under legal protection. Mandhare said that there are no rules pertaining to curriculum approval or pre-primary school approval. The goal is to eliminate the differences in curriculum and educational quality, not to seize control of the private pre-primary schools that now exist. We'll make sure that educational establishments don't endure needless hardship. The lessons that pupils learn in these schools will be the main focus. Since the ages of three to six are so crucial and formative, Mandhare stated.
He declined to provide further information, saying that the draft could not be released prior to the government's decision, which is anticipated to be discussed in cabinet.
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