Creation of a knowledge based society is the need of the hour. There is a severe learning crisis in our country that needs to be resolved first for the growth of this knowledge based society. Most of our policy makers formulate policies for growth and enhancement of higher education, more so in the fields of science and technology. But this not what is required immediately.  To address the current learning crisis, thrust is to be laid on early childhood education. This early childhood education can be articulated by the availability of free & compulsory primary education for the age group of 3 to 6 years. This would be in consonance with the aim of our government to achieve universal foundational literacy & numeracy in primary education by 2025.

      In this regard, mention has to be made of the New Draft Education Policy, 2019 (under the Ministry of HRD) that aims at improving the foundational skills of children. The policy initiative proposes the restructuring of the entire education system from the traditional 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 system (nursery to std 2+ std 3 to 5+ std 6 to 8+ std 9 to 12) whereby, the first stage from nursery till standard 2 i.e, from the age 3 to 8 years, would be one foundational stage. This division of the learning stages of academics is consistent with the child’s mental growth & development. This kind of stage by stage education would deliver desirable goals as well as curb the learning crisis greatly.

     Any knowledge based society requires a powerful & vigorous education system. And if seo India rank really aspires to be the third largest economy in the world by 2030 as has been estimated, this change has to brought about and the education system invigorated at the earliest.

By YUMNA MOBIN