New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) on Thursday said that access to education is an important area that demands prompt action from states as the barriers that children face in their early years, They affect their ability in many ways.
The EAC-PM, chaired by Vivek Debroy, in a statement quoting its report on ‘Status of Basic Literacy and Numeracy in India’, said that the issue of access to education “is one that demands prompt action on the part of the states”. “
The performance of large states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar is well below average, while the north-eastern states have the highest scores as a result of their better performance, the statement said.
Some states can serve as role models for others in some aspects, but they also need to learn from other states while addressing their own challenges, the council said, not only for the high performing states but also for The same is true for the low performing states. For example, while Kerala has the best performance in a smaller state, it can also learn from some low-scoring regions, such as Andhra Pradesh, which outperforms Kerala in terms of access to education, the EAC-PM said. .
The Council highlighted the importance of the early education years in the holistic development of a child.
“Access to quality early childhood education is a fundamental right for all children. The early years of a child’s life need to be understood in the backdrop of the socio-economic, psychological and technological constraints that they face, which in turn, in many ways Affects the child’s ability.”
The statement quoted Debroy as saying, “Education leads to positive externalities and the quality of education provided, especially during the formative years, is critical. The current achievements in literacy and numeracy and the differences between states are noted. should be focused.”
A child needs to develop solid foundational literacy and numeracy skills, which refer to basic reading, writing and math skills. Lagging behind in the foundational learning years that includes pre-school and early education leaves children more vulnerable as it negatively affects their learning outcomes,” the statement said.
It said that apart from the current issues related to the years of foundational learning, the ongoing pandemic has highlighted the importance of technology in the holistic education of children. “Therefore, the need of the hour is to focus on basic education to ensure universal access to a quality level of education for all children in pre-primary and primary classes in India,” the statement said.
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