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ECCE Policies, Schemes and Programmes in India

initiatives have been taken to ensure children’s right to survival, development,
protection and participation. The Government of India is one the most important
stakeholders in ensuring quality ECCE to children. India has been signatory to
Notes
many conventions to ensure needs and rights of children are respected and
provided to them.Over the years, the government has formulated many policies
and schemes to raise the quality of services provided to children.
Let us study some of the Government initiatives in this direction.

4.2 POLICIES AND PLANS

In Article 39, the Constitution of India provides that the State shall direct its
policy towards ensuring “that children are given opportunities and facilities to
develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that
childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and
material abandonment.”

To ensure survival, health, nutrition, care and education of young children in the
early years, various interventions are done at the national, state and district levels
from time to time.

4.2.1The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986

The Government of India had formulated the National Policy on Education (NPE)
in 1986 to promote education for the welfare of all its citizens. The policy focuses
on the overall development of young children and visualizes ECCE as an
important factor strengthening primary education in the country. The policy also
considers ECCE as important for human resource development. It stresses on
promoting a child-centred and play-based ECCE programme. It discourages the
use of formal methods and introduction of the 3Rs at an early stage. It also
recommends the involvement of the local community in the ECCE programmes.

4.2.2 National Nutrition Policy, 1993
Adequate and healthy nutrition is vital for holistic development of children. The
policy was formulated by the Government of India to tackle the problem of under-
nutrition and malnutrition in the country, thereby aiming to improve the nutritional
status across society. The policy states the need to expand Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) and other similar programmes in order to cover
the entire population of children in India. It implies that mothers be given proper
support and information on effective nutrition for the growth of their children.
The policy also calls on state governments to take concerted efforts and
recommends the setting up of State Level Nutrition Council for improving the
nutritional standards.

48 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION