Sudha Murty moves resolution to guarantee free early childhood care, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty proposed a resolution on Friday to amend the Constitution, aiming to make early childhood care and education a fundamental right.
• The resolution suggests adding Article 21B to guarantee free and compulsory early childhood care and education for children aged three to six, including nutrition, health services, and pre-primary learning.
• Murty advocated for extending the Right to Education to include children aged 3-6 years, currently covering ages 6-14 under Article 21A.
• In 2021, there were an estimated 16.1 crore children aged 0-6 years in India, with 3.5 crore attending anganwadi centres.

Detailed Insights:

• The proposed amendment aims to address the educational needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds who do not have access to private schooling.
• Strengthening anganwadi centres is crucial for providing universal early childhood care and education, ensuring comprehensive development for all children.
• The resolution received cross-party support, highlighting the shared concern for improving early childhood education and care across the nation.
• Concerns were raised regarding the adequacy of current funding for anganwadi centres and the need to increase honorariums for anganwadi workers.
• There were also concerns about the potential misuse of early childhood education frameworks for political indoctrination rather than holistic development.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Article 21A: Guarantees free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years.
• Anganwadi Centres: Rural child care centres providing basic health care and pre-school education.
• Right to Education: Fundamental right ensuring access to education for all children.