By Vasudha Arabandi | 26th November, 2024

India is home to 13.7 crore children under the age of six, accounting for 13.2% of the total population. Focusing on their development is essential to fostering the country’s future. As the nation marks its 74th Constitution Day, it’s a pivotal moment to reflect on children’s educational rights enshrined in our Constitution. Since 1950, successive policy advancements have underscored the importance of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in India. This journey illustrates India’s evolving commitment to nurturing young minds for a brighter tomorrow.

In 1950, Article 45 of the Indian Constitution emphasized that the state should “endeavor to provide free and compulsory education for all children until the age of 14.” This commitment was further strengthened in 1975 with the introduction of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, widely known as the Anganwadi services. Providing free pre-primary education, the program became the largest Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) delivery mechanism in India, fostering holistic child development and offering non-formal preschool education to millions of children.

In 1976, education moved from the State List to the Concurrent List via the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. The importance of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) was further reinforced in 1986 when the National Policy on Education identified ECCE as a critical element in the overall development of the country, considering that 85% of brain development takes place before the age of 6. 

The foundation for future learning and development is laid through these early experiences, with millions of neural connections being formed every second along with physiological changes that a child goes through. The brain is the most “plastic” in these early years of development and the cognitive development that takes place in these years is most effective. 

Taking cognizance of this India further strengthened its commitment to child rights at the global stage when it became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 and ratified it in 1992. This international commitment also led to development in domestic reforms, with the inclusion of the Right to Education as a fundamental right under Article 21 in 2002. 

Simultaneously, the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) were also amended to state that, “the state shall endeavor to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they reach the age of 6 years”. In 2009, the Right to Education (RTE) Act mandated free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6-14. While ECCE was not initially included in the RTE, the policy shift emphasized the need for comprehensive educational opportunities for all children.

However recently, with the introduction of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, followed by the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage and the introduction of curriculums like Aadharshila- National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024, and Navchetna- National Framework for Early Childhood Stimulation 2024 there has been a renewed focus on ECCE. 

These policies aim to ensure that the foundations of learning are laid early, setting the stage for lifelong education and skill development.