Himachal Pradesh Government today brought a legislation in State Assembly to regularize the early childhood care and pre-school education centres. Introducing a bill in the State Assembly, the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Col D R Shandil said that HIMACHAL PRADESH EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION CENTRES (REGISTRATION AND REGULATION) BILL, 2017 would be able to give control to the Government to regulate various institutions running in the State.
He said that since age of 0-6 years is the most sensitive, impressionable and fundamental phase of a child’s development. The Government of India’s Childhood Care and Education Policy, 2013 is a welcome step to cater this important section of children. He said that numerous Early Childhood Care and Education Centres are mushrooming without any regulation and accountability to any authority resulting in a vacuum in this particular sphere.
It has been decided to bring a legislation which may broadly adhere to the spirit of the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy, 2013 and focuses on making necessary arrangement for pre-school education to all children by involving both the organized and unorganized sectors and to ensure quality education to children by providing all the basic facilities.
The Bill focuses on making necessary arrangement for providing pre-school education to all children by involving all sectors like non-Governmental channels which are largely supported by trusts, societies, religious groups or international funding agencies and these channels suffer from issues of equitable access, uneven quality and growing commercialization. ”It is the primary responsibility of the Government to harmonize the activities of all the service providers, in accordance with service delivery norms, standards and regulations which would be non-negotiable for promoting quality Early Childhood Care and Education and shall be made mandatory for all service providers. ” he said.
The Bill further provides for approval of the State Government for the establishment of such Centres in Private Sector and also provides for intervention of the State Government in certain circumstances while at the same time giving considerable freedom to the private institutions and organizations. Himachal Pradesh would be the first State in the Country to make such a welfare legislation and actually try and realize the true spirit of the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy, 2013. The bill would come for discussion tomorrow or afterward.
