Policy for pre-primary schools on the Cards

KOCHI: The state government is all set to bring in a policy to regulate pre-primary schools in the state. The State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT) will prepare a document to  regularise the pre-primary education in the state. The draft of the document will be the  blueprint for further policy decisions in this direction, Director of Public Instructions Mohammed Hanish said.As of now, Kerala does not have any rules, regulations or statutory bodies to monitor pre-primary institutions. “Public discussions on the draft document are going on. Once the document comes into force, it will lay down the guidelines for the curriculum, training and qualification of teachers,” Hanish said.At present, the government does not have any pre-primary/nursery schools directly under it. The schools that are operational in the state are run by the parent teachers associations (PTA) or the managements in the case of aided schools or by private bodies. Even the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)does not have any national level policy in this direction. “There is no affiliating authority for pre-primary educational institutions. In the case of teachers too there are no standardised qualification. Once we recruit our teachers we impart our own training,” said Chinmaya Vidyalaya principal Mayamohan.States like Tamil Nadu and Delhi have already put in place laws to regulate pre-primary educational institutions. In fact, Tamil Nadu’s Code of Regulation for Nursery and Primary Schools was enacted way back in 1991. There is also a Department of Elementary Education to monitor pre-primary schools and institutions in the state.In recent years, a number of pre-primary school chains have mushroomed in the state, some of them charging hefty fees. The parents are concerned as there are no regulations in this regard. “The young children need more attention. Some schools have as high as 40 children in the nursery classes. It is time that they brought in some regulation. Besides, teachers should also have some benchmark in terms of qualification. Security in terms of transportation of children is another aspect,” says Neeraja Nair, parent of a nursery student.