PNS | DEHRADUN
The National Association for Parents and Student Rights (NAPSR) has highlighted the necessity for the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) to work in conjunction with the Education department to establish a monitoring committee specifically for pre-primary schools. This committee is expected to ensure complete compliance with age-guidelines regarding the children’s enrolment.
Many parents enrol their children in pre-primary schools at the age of one and half or two years to provide them early educational opportunities. But this is what impacts the children’s physical and mental health, said the NAPSR president Arif Khan, adding that ideally the children should not be admitted at school before they are three years old.
Expressing her deep concern on trend the chairperson of the SCPCR Geeta Khanna said that the children below three years if admitted at pre-primary schools are vulnerable to exploitation. “This violates the National Education Policy 2020. This policy specifies that children should be admitted only when they are three years old,” she said.
Defending a section of the parents’ inclination to admit children at the age of two years or even less, a parent Monisha Bhatt said that the cut -throat competition that marks the present age forces them to violate the NEP guidelines. “If children begin speaking at the age of two, parents are justified in enrolling them in pre-primary schools, as early exposure may put them in advantageous condition. As for me, I have enrolled my two-year-old daughter in a pre-primary school,” she added.
Another parent Ishi Verma The Pioneer talked to echoed the same view. “”Both my husband and I work in offices. So, it is difficult for us to take proper care of our son who is one and a half years old. We have, therefore, decided to enrol him in a pre-primary school. This will instil in him good manners aside from introducing him to foundational learning,” she added.
When asked to comment on such parents’ view, Khan dismissed it and averred that they should not allow their children’s physical and mental growth get thwarted by such absurd logic like competitive advantage. “This is what is leading to impaired vision at an early age among other health issues. Besides, lack of social engagement hinders their mental growth. Therefore, we are for the constitution of a monitoring committee in collaboration between SCPCR and the Education department. The monitoring committee must include a representative from the State administration, too. Besides, it must be empowered to slap penalties on the errant schools vis-a-vis the NEP admission age guidelines,” he added.
