Early Childhood Development Policy and Programming in India: Critical Issues and Directions for Paradigm Change

Autor/inn/en	Sharma, Adarsh; Sen, Rekha Sharma; Gulati, Renu
Titel	Early Childhood Development Policy and Programming in India: Critical Issues and Directions for Paradigm Change
Quelle	In: International Journal of Early Childhood, 40 (2008) 2, S.65-83 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0020-7187
Schlagwörter	Educational Policy; Early Childhood Education; Economically Disadvantaged; Young Children; Coping; Educational Indicators; Foreign Countries; Resource Allocation; Poverty; Social Influences; Family Influence; High Risk Students; Early Intervention; Disadvantaged Youth; Program Development; Educational Planning; Well Being; Student Needs; Public Health; Developing Nations; Child Development; Politics of Education; Educational History; Educational Legislation; Child Health; Child Welfare; Access to Education; India + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Frühe Kindheit; Bewältigung; Educational indicato; Bildungsindikator; Ausland; Ressourcenallokation; Armut; Sozialer Einfluss; Problemschüler; Benachteiligter Jugendlicher; Programmplanung; Bildungsplanung; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Gesundheitswesen; Developing country; Developing countries; Entwicklungsland; Kindesentwicklung; Educational policy; History of education; Bildungsgeschichte; Bildungsrecht; Schulgesetz; Kindeswohl; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Indien
Abstract	The critical importance of the early childhood years and the rights perspective to human development has made policy and programming for early childhood development an imperative for every nation. In India, poverty, changing economic and social structures resulting in the breakdown of traditional coping mechanisms and family care systems, and the disparity between the rich and the poor place a large number of children "at risk". Early childhood interventions become a pre-requisite in such contexts to mitigate the effects of deprivation and disadvantage and improve life chances, particularly of children from underprivileged and marginalized environments. The present paper uses documentary analysis and literature review to trace the evolution of early childhood development policy and programming in India, describes changing perspectives in planning and, after a critical analyses of the situation of children and programming for children in the country, discusses paradigm shifts that need to be made as the way forward to ensure the well-being of the young child in India. In keeping with international developments, the approach towards planning strategies related to Early Childhood Development (ECD) in India has, over the years, evolved from "Welfare" to "Development" to "Rights". The Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) have been the guideposts for planning but achieving synergy across varied sectors catering to different facets of the child's development has remained elusive. This is reflected in the poor mortality, morbidity and education indicators with respect to the young child. A major reason for this stems from the ambivalent status of ECD in India--while national documents recognize it as the foundation for all other initiatives, these are not backed by resource allocation and political will to provide quality ECD for all. The country's planning processes need to make paradigm shifts in child development strategies and policies to lead to re-designing of interventions. (Contains 3 footnotes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10