The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Focus on pre-school education: expert

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 24, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Focus on pre-school education: expert

Special Correspondent

‘Bring pre-school education under purview of Department of Education’

Bangalore: An ‘Open House’ on education has urged the Government to take steps to implement various recommendations, including the need to bring pre-school education (pre-primary), now in the hands of private persons, under the purview of the Department of Education.

Speakers also wanted action on the suggestions made by the Karnataka State Education Perspective Plan Committee (KSEPPC) in its first report on Eduvision 2015.

The ‘open house’ was organised by the Gandhi Centre of Science and Human values of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here on Sunday.

Presenting an overall view of the recommendations, chairman of KSEPPC and former Director of the Department of Public Instruction, D. Jagannatha Rao, said that pre-school education should be focussed upon as a strong foundation was necessary for the entire learning process.

The State should evolve a clear policy on pre-school education and ensure that children in the 3 to 5 age group get access to childhood care at education centres. Besides, it should strengthen pre-school education in anganwadis, he said.

Referring to elementary education, he said retention and quality of learning were complex in nature and challenging in their goals. In that context it had been observed that the level of education was poor on various counts in the northern districts of the State, particularly Hyderabad Karnataka. Therefore, imparting proper focus had become imperative in those districts, he added.

Mr. Rao deliberated on a range of issues such as infrastructure, spacious playground, library, number of schools, size of each classroom, teacher-pupil ratio and the attendance factor, measures to regulate dropouts, additional funds required and the role of NGOs and local communities in lower primary and higher primary schools covered by the committee for realising the projected vision.

Highlighting the contents of Eduvision 2015 on secondary education, C.S. Nagaraju, retired Principal of the Regional Institute of Education, Mysore, said secondary education demanded a paradigm shift in its conception and curriculum. The Government should facilitate quality education to all those concerned up to the age of 16 by 2015.

Dr. Nagaraju said the Government should ensure that all those who completed elementary education should also complete secondary education. That would mean a minimum of 10 years schooling for children in the age group of six years to 16 years. It was implied that over 80 per cent of children enrolled should complete secondary education successfully by 2012 and 100 per cent of them by 2015.

Many eminent teachers and reputed educationists participated in the event. Noted teacher P.G. Dwarakanath delivered the introductory note.

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