Mita Mukherjee

Management and Entrepreneurship and Professional Skills Council (MEPSC), an authorised body under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), of Government of India on Monday launched the admission process of its first-ever training programme for preprimary educators to equip them with the skills needed to promote growth and development of young children as per the standards recommended in NEP 2020.    

The programme aims to develop and expand the skill and abilities of nearly 10,000 persons already engaged as pre-primary facilitators in the first phase and then create a new trained workforce for the preschool sector, said a senior official of the MEPSC.

The short-term certification programme, the “first of its kind” is being conducted under the guidance of MEPSC in collaboration with Nalanda Learning, an organization working in the field of early child care education sector and Private Schools and Children’s Welfare Association (PSACWA) and organization of private schools owners.    

According to the MEPSC official, currently the aim of the programme is focused on upgrading the skill of in-service teachers of government-run centres as well as those working in schools run by private organisations.

“The NEP 2020 emphasises early childhood care and education (ECCE) as the most important foundation for lifelong learning and development. The new training programme will not only help the in-service teachers to upgrade their skill in tune with the standards set in the NEP, but it also aims to train thousands of young people, particularly females who are educated but do not have the pre-school teaching skill to enter the pre-school education system,” the MEPSC official told EducationWorld.

One of the significant challenges faced by the preschool education sector at present is lack of qualified persons.

The PSACWA which has over two lakh schools under its umbrella will be offering the online programme.

“ We have successfully opened the admission today. The training programme was recently launched by the MEPSC. But we decided to start the admission process today to commemorate the birth of Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution. We are expecting huge responses from the aspiring candidates. We are hoping to create a pool of trained workforce that will shape the future of millions of young learners,” Syed Shamael Ahmed, national president of PSACWA, told EducationWorld after opening the admission.

Nalanda Learning has prepared the content of the course, said Tamal Mukherjee, founder director of the group.

“For over 15 years Nalanda Learning has been at the forefront of empowering India’s youngest learners and educators with appropriate solutions. Our present training programme that fully aligns with NEP will empower preschool educators nationwide,” Mukherjee told EducationWorld.    

According to the MEPSC official, there are at least 14 lakh schools in the country that run preschool sections. Nearly 84 lakh facilitators and educators have  teacher training degrees but they do not have the skills  to educate toddlers in tune with the standards set by the NEP. For example, those working in the government-run centres like Anganwadis have the required training to deliver nutrition and health services to children below six years. But they lack the skill of educating the children of that age group as per the recommendation of NEP.    

“ Therefore our target is to cover the existing 84 lakh educators and then create a fresh workforce equipped with the required skill so that they can become a part of the system. But in the first step we are starting with only in-­service teachers,” the official said.

The certificate course will be offered online and on completion of the course the participants will be awarded the certification by the MEPSC.

Tamal Mukherjee of Nalanda Learning said the course will contain 14 modules including introduction of early childhood care education, setting up and running a day-care centre, philosophy of education, child development and learning, creating inclusive environments, curriculum planning and implementation, pedagogy and teaching strategies, observation, assessment and documentation and more.

Each candidate enrolling for the course will have to pay Rs 8000 for the entire certification programme.

Also read: How AI is Revolutionizing ECCE to Build a Strong Foundation for Future Success