Childhood education: Maharashtra leads from front

When it comes to providing education to the little ones, Maharashtra is far ahead of other states, a recent survey has revealed.

A nationwide survey conducted by Zee Learn has found that Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are the top states in the country for providing early childhood education. The average age for enrolling children in preschools has come down to 2.6 years from 3.2 years.

Looking at a sample size of 52,000 students and their parents, the survey found that in Maharashtra, Navi Mumbai and Pune are the leading cities in giving early childhood education. In these two cities, more and more parents were sending their children to preschools. One of the reasons behind the growth of preschools in these cities is that working parents are unable to find “parenting’’ time for their children. Experts say that it’s good news that parents are choosing to send their children to preschools over crèches. 

Pradeep Pillai, business head of KidZee preschool and Mount Litera Zee School, said, “Navi Mumbai and Pune have an emerging middle class. The main reason behind the spurt in early education in these cities is that mothers have started working. However, it’s good that parents are making informed choices about sending their children to preschools. They could have easily sent them to crèches, but parents understand the need for preschooling so that it starts the early development of the child.’’

Even the age of enrolling the children in preschools has reduced from 3.2 years to 2.6 years on an average. Pillai said the development of the brain  is at its fastest at five years of age. Hence the period from 18 months to two years is the ideal age for enrolling children in preschools.

“An early start in the cognitive development of the child has a direct impact on his/her educational achievements later in life. The cognitive ability of the child to acquire knowledge and apply it at its peak at the age of five years. S/he is able to grasp maximum and experiment a lot more. This ability decreases with time,’’ said Pillai.

However, he warned that children should not be force fed information in the preschools.

“Force-feeding information would lead to an information overload in the child’s mind. Learning should take place at the child’s pace and s/he should be allowed to play and learn whenever he wants to,’’ he said.