State to regulate pre-primary education, new law on the anvil

MUMBAI: Private kindergartens and anganwadis will soon be governed by the state in an effort to regulate and introduce transparency into pre-primary education. School education minister Dada Bhuse announced this on Wednesday, adding that the move was in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which mandates the inclusion of children aged three to six years into the formal education system.

Bhuse said a new law to regulate these institutions was being drafted and would soon be tabled. “We are working on a comprehensive law to bring pre-primary education into the mainstream. The draft has been sent to the law and judiciary department for review,” he said.

Traditionally, formal education began when a child turned six. However, NEP 2020 has brought children from the age of three into the system. The state has launched a portal dedicated to pre-primary institutions, aiming to register all centres that cater to early childhood education, including anganwadis and private kindergartens. These are the Maha School GIS Mobile App and the Pre-School Registration Portal. They were both virtually inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday.

The portals will consolidate detailed data on all centres providing education to children aged 3 to 6. This includes each centre’s name, address, management details, student count, facilities and teaching staff.

The registration facility is available on the ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education) tab on the education department’s website: education.maharashtra.gov.in.

Why registration is mandatory:

1. Registration details of all pre-primary institutions will be available in one place.

2. This will provide information to help implement a policy for pre-primary education.

3. Citizens will have access to information about pre-primary classes in their locality.

4. It will help the government estimate the capacity of employees working in the pre-primary sector.