Main Course Without the Dessert: A Few Insights  from the Exploratory Study of Small Budget Private  Preschools in Delhi

Savita Kaushal

Savita Kaushal	skaushal@jmi.ac.in	Jamia Millia Islamia (INDIA)

Summary:

As a result of the growing awareness of the importance of the first six years of a child’s life, an enormous number of initiatives are being made across the globe to ensure universal access to quality ECCE for all children. India, too, has made major reforms in this direction. In this context, one of the significant developments has been the National Education Policy 2020. This is the first education policy of the 21st Century. This policy lays significant emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education (3-6 years) by ensuring universal access to high-quality ECCE across the country to be achieved no later than 2030. Over the last decade, India has seen a drastic change in the ownership of preschools; in terms of private preschools, though fewer in number, multiplying rapidly. The popular perception of preschool education is that the government can address coverage, and private initiatives can provide efficiency. Many parents also perceive private preschools as more efficient in fulfilling their aspirations. They are also willing to pay for their children’s preschool education disregarding the affordability. There is monopolistic competition in private preschools at the national level, specifically by the growth of many branded private preschools. Apart from this, there are a large number of private stand-alone preschools that have emerged to cater to the growing needs of the preschool provision. Among these private preschools, there are also small-budget private preschools (SBPPS) run by individual enterprises. These SBPPS charge low fees and are affordable to middle and lower-middle-class families. The present study attempts to study the SBPPS regarding infrastructural facilities (human and physical), the teaching-learning strategies, and the parents’ connotations regarding preschool education.

View file

Keywords:

Small budget Private Preschools

National Education Policy 2020

ECCE

Refers:

[1] Baird, R. (2009). Private Schools for the Poor: Development, Provision, and Choice in India. A Report for the Grey Matters Capital. http://dise.in/downloads/use%20of%20 dise%20data/ross%20baird.pdf

[2] Denton, K, West J, Walston J. (2003). Reading young children achievement and classroom experiences . Findings from the conditions of education 2003. National Centre for Education Statistics. US Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/ pubs2003/2003070.pdf

[3] Elliott, A. (2004). Building capacity and strengthening early childhood provision, Every Child, 10(2), 2

[4] Fabian, H., & Dunlop, A. W. (2007). Outcomes of Good Practice in Transition Processes for Children entering Primary School,Working Papers in Early Childhood Development. No. 42. Bernard van Leer Foundation.

[5] Irfan, A., Karamchandani, A., & Jain, V. (2017). The Preschool Promise . The Opportunity to Transform Learning Outcomes for India’s Working Poor. FSG. A PIPE Publication

[6] Leithwood, K., Anderson, L. K., & Wahlstrom, S. (2007). Review of research—How leadership influences children learning. Wallace Foundation.

[7] Perry, B., Dockett, S., & Petriwskyj, A. (2014). Transitions to School-International Research, Policy and Practice. Springer

[8] Salmi, S., and Kumpulainen, K. (2019). Children’s experiencing of their transition from preschool to first grade: a visual narrative study. Learn. Cult. Soc. Interact. 20, 58–67. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. lcsi.2017.10.007

[9] Kaushal, S. (2012). Early childhood care and education initiatives in India: Provision and challenges. The Primary Teacher, XXXVII(3 & 4), 5–17. https:// ncert.nic.in/pdf/publication/journalsandperiodicals/ theprimaryteacher/PTEJulOct2012.pdf

[10] Kaushal, S. (2016). Study of the parents’ perspective regarding Pre-Schooling, People’s Dialogue on Education, 8(2), 25–31. http://journal.politicindia.com/journal_ article/1514735816.pdf

[11] Kaushal, S. (2019). A study of private franchises providing preschool education in Delhi. NIEPA Funded Project. India

[12] Urbina-Garcia, A. (2019). Preschool transition in Mexico: Exploring teachers’ perceptions and practices. Teaching and Teacher Education, 85, 226–234. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.012

[13] UNICEF. (2012). Asia Pacific End of Decade Notes on Education for All: Early Childhood Care and Education. UNESCO BANGKOK, UNICEF EAPRO and UNICEF ROSA. EFA Goal 1: Early childhood care and education; Asia-Pacific end of Decade Notes on Education for All; 2012 (un.org)

[14] UNESCO. (2019). Early childhood care and education. https://en.unesco.org/themes/early-childhood-care-andeducation

Journal:

Volume. 18 - issue 2 / 2022

VIETNAM JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

Main Course Without the Dessert: A Few Insights from the Exploratory Study of Small Budget Private Preschools in Delhi