Nursery from age 4,says Sibal

The minister also supported opening formal education in Class I only when a child is six years old.

Sibal said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. “The measures can only be implemented after the Delhi government accepts it,as Education is a state subject,” he said.

Once the measures are accepted by the Delhi government,the age for nursery admissions will go up to four years,and admission to Kindergarten will be at five years.

Asked if the age for nursery admissions would be increased across India,Sibal said the issue could be taken up after getting a go-ahead from the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE).

“The present system of admissions in Delhi is traumatic for the child,as also the parents,” he said. “It is impossible for a child of three to go to school — it is traumatic for the children,” Sibal said.

He said,“Some (school) principals and parents have told me that the child starts stammering — at three,a child is still discovering the world.”

Sibal also emphasised the need to separate the pre-schooling system from formal schooling. “Pre-schools should not start before the child is four,” he said. “In March,a child should not be less than four (during admission to nursery class).

He said non-formal schooling should be “completely different” from formal schooling — “they should be in two separate premises”.

The minister said,“Pre-schools need to have separate set-up,norms,infrastructure from formal schools.” He said institutions with pre-schools in the same premises can “separate the two in the next three years”.

According to Sibal,principals of Delhi schools had raised concern over playschools in the city taking advantage of the move. “There should be some element of standardisation in the non-formal education sector — that is playschools — in order to curb any misuse,” he said.

Boom in playschool ‘business’?
With HRD minister Kapil Sibal wishing to de-link formal and non-formal schooling,many principals in city schools voiced concerns: they said this might increase the playschool “business”. While Sibal said there should be an “element of standardisation in non-formal education”,many principals said pre-schools at present “go unchecked” with no control from any authority.

If the government accepts the proposal to begin nursery schooling at four,Chanda Raisinghani,headmistress of Ardee Montessori School,said: “I won’t call it mushrooming of pre-schools but,yes,a child will get two full years in a pre-school. Parents come to us with children as young as two-and-a-half — the child is here for a year but the training and learning is incomplete.’

Raisinghani said with parents going to another school for admission in nursery,it is “stressful” for parents as well. “Playschools will get more responsibility now.”

PRINCIPALSPEAK
The meeting with Kapil Sibal was to check whether three is a correct age to send a child to school. At three,a child is not cognitively grown,and motor skills (movement) are not that sharp. At times,there is a huge gap of age among the children in a class — a child of 3 years and 11 months and a child of 3 years and 4 months are at times found in the same class. A child of four has better cognitive and motor skills.

As for formal and non-formal schooling,it will take more deliberation.
Ameeta Mullah Wattal
Principal,Springdales School,Pusa Road

We have always wanted this — increasing the age for nursery admissions to four is very good. Right now,the age of admission in nursery is three-and-a-half on March 31. With the age increasing to four,a child will get two years of nursery school education and then start formal schooling at six.

As for separating formal and informal education,a child in non-formal education system needs to be free to play — he or she should be kept away from the formal system of education.
Usha Ram
Principal,Laxman Public School,Hauz Khas