Not in line with NEP: ECA points to age disparity in nursery admission in state, seeks correction

Considering the age at the time of nursery admission, in Maharashtra, the child is only five and half years old during admission to Class I while NEP recommends that the child should be six years old to take admission in Class I

The ECA has also written to Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais requesting to correct this age-disparity. (File)

Even as the National Education Policy (NEP) recommends that a child should have completed three years of age for nursery admission, the Early Childhood Association (ECA) has complained of disparity in age criterion in school admissions in Maharashtra. Pointing out that children in the state are admitted to nursery schools when they are just two and a half years, leading to early learning stress, the ECA has demanded that the age disparity be corrected.

At present, a child is required to be three years old by December 31 of the admission year for nursery admission in Maharashtra. But schools start sessions either in April or in June which means children are just two and a half years old when they begin nursery. The NEP also recommends that the child should be six years old to take admission in Class I. But considering the age at the time of nursery admission, in Maharashtra, the child is only five and half years old during admission to Class I.

Dr Swati Popat Vats, president of ECA, said, “On paper it looks like a small period of three to six months, but in the life of a child that young, those few months can have a lifelong impact. There are ramifications on the cognitive and mental health of our youngest learner and it is leading to early learning stress.”

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The ECA has also written to Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais requesting to correct this age-disparity.

Elaborating more on the ramifications, Dr Popat said, “If a two-and-a-half-year-old child starts nursery, the six-month gap at that age matters in language, social and emotional development etc. For example, 2.5 year olds are able to use sentences of two-three words and say “I”, “you” and “me”. At three years, toddlers can usually use sentences of three-five words or even more. At 2.5 years of age, they are not able to take turns to speak, a required skill in pre-school. By three years of age, toddlers start learning how to take turns when speaking and can have a short conversation with you.”

Stating that streamlining is in the process, Suraj Mandhare, Commissioner of Education, Maharashtra, said, “Soon we will have formulated an entire system which is in line with the national guidelines.”

The state’s school education department has proposed an Act to govern pre-primary, which were not part of formal schooling until now. The Indian Express had reported about it in December last year. This Act is expected to correct the age-disparity including various other aspects of pre-primary education in the state.

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