ENTRY AGE TO NURSERY CLASS- NO CONTROVERSY PLEASE
Advocate Ashok Agarwal, Advisor, Social Jurist
. The PIL by Social Jurist had highlighted the fact that different unaided recognized private schools in Delhi were applying different age criteria for admission of children in nursery classes and sought directions from the Honble Delhi High Court against the Government to ensure that all the Schools must follow uniform age criteria in accordance with the provisions of Section 16 of Delhi School Education Act, 1973 (DSEA, 1973) which provides that a child who has not attained the age of five years, shall not be admitted to class I, in a recognized school. It is a fact that though the DSEA, 1973 covers pre-primary schools, but his fact alone, does not accord it the status of formal education but the pre-primary school has not been defined nor the minimum age for admission therein has been expressly provided.
The Honble High Court following the mandate of Section 16 of DSEA, 1973, held that the children are eligible for admission to Nursery, KG and Class I provided they complete three, four and five years of age respectively, on 1st April, 2007. It is submitted that there is nothing wrong either with the provisions of Section 16 of DSEA, 1973 or with the Orders having been passed by the Honble High Court. It is submitted that Section 16 of DSEA, 1973 rightly assumes Class I as the starting point of formal education and so rightly prescribes the minimum age of not less than five years for admission therein. Therefore, the correct minimum age of a child for admission in formal schooling is not even four but above five years.
The problem lies altogether with the incorrect understanding of the concept of pre-primary education. It is submitted that pre-primary education is in fact not a formal education as is commonly understood but is only a play way education. It is well known fact that the children are sent to play way schools as early as of two years of age and the same is gaining ground. The entire pre-primary education need not to be looked as part of formal school education merely because the same is imparted by the schools which also run Classes I and above.
The concept of pre-primary education has been deliberately misapplied by most of the schools resulting in unwanted confusions and misgivings. The Kothari Commission (1964-66) has gone into the detailed discussion on pre-primary education. The traditional practice has been to divide the period of school education into three stages pre-primary, primary and secondary and to discuss the problems of each separately. This is based on several considerations. In the first place, the three stages of education are regarded as corresponding to the three stages in the development of child infancy, childhood and adolescence, says, Kothari Commission Report. The objectives of pre-primary education have also been detailed in the Report which include to develop in the child good health habits and to build up basic skills necessary for personal adjustment, such as dressing, toilet habits, eating, washing, cleaning and to develop in the child a good physique muscular coordination and basic motor skills.
The Kothari Commission also noted, Pre-primary schools were first established to meet social needs such as looking after the children of working mothers or providing a suitable environment to little boys and girls from urban families whose small tenements or flats were hardly appropriate for the childrens proper growth. These schools also attempted to compensate for the unsatisfactory home environment of children from slum areas or poor families. Recently, however, the educational significance of this stage is being increasingly realized. Modern researches have shown that the years between three and ten are of the greatest importance in the childs physical, emotional and intellectual development. It has also been found that children who have been to a pre-primary school show better progress at the primary stage and help in reducing wastage and stagnation. The modern trend in educational policy, therefore, is to emphasize pre-primary education, especially for children with unsatisfactory home backgrounds. This is the direction in which we also should move.
The Kothari Commission further noted as a part of recommendations, (4) Another important experiment of this type, which has been tried with success in some parts of the country, is the establishment of childrens play centres in close association with the primary schools. These are conducted by a specially trained teacher in the primary school, who is given an allowance for the purpose, or by a separate teacher. The programme, which lasts for about two hours a day, is simple and consists of group singing, story-telling and games, with considerable attention being given to personal hygiene and health. These centres serve as pre-school classes and to smoothen the transition of the child from its play-dominated world of infancy to the formal atmosphere of the primary school. They are comparatively less costly to run and serve a very useful purpose in reducing wastage and stagnation, particularly in Class I. Such centres should be attached to as many primary schools as possible.
The Delhi Governments recent move to the Honble High Court seeking fixation of childs age at 4 years for admission in nursery class is based on incorrect premise that the pre-primary education is formal education and the child is not mature enough to go to school. The same government had earlier advocated before the Honble High Court for admission of two years and four months old child in nursery class. It is submitted that the pre-primary education has not only been recommended by the Kothari Commission but also find place in all the National Policies on Education of 1968, 1986 and 1992. The Government instead of taking pre-primary education as part of play way school activities is, unfortunately, taking it as a part of formal school education. If the contention of the government that 3 year child is not mature enough to go to school is believed to be correct, all mushrooming play way schools are required to be shut down.
The schools that are imparting pre-primary education in a formal mode of education are required to be checked by the Government. The National Advisory Committee on LEARNIG WITHOUT BURDEN headed by Prof. Yashpal as back as in 1993 had recommended that It should be ensured that these institutions do not perpetuate violence on young children by inflicting a heavy dose of over-education in the formal teaching of Reading, Writing and Numbers. It is submitted that by looking at the provisions of Delhi School Education Act, 1973, Reports of Kothari Commission (1964-66) and Prof. Yashpal Committee (1993), it is quite clear that pre-primary education cannot and should not be considered and treated as a part of formal education, and therefore, the controversies on the issue of minimum age for admission in nursery classes is totally inappropriate.
E-mail: socialjurist@socialjurist.com