E-Paper
Punjab makes registration mandatory for playway schools
The department doesn’t have an exact data on number of such schools in the state. As per estimates 5,000 such schools are operating in the state. The initial registration will be valid for three years, and schools will be required to pay a registration fee of ₹5,000. Playway schools operating in a single room will be closed.
The Punjab government has made registration mandatory for playway schools in the state, giving them six months to register with the department of social security, women and child development.
“The mandatory registration of playway schools follows the state government’s decision to implement the recommendations of the early childhood care and education (ECCE) council across the state,” said Baljit Kaur, minister of social security, women and child development during a press conference here on Wednesday. She said that the playway schools must register with the department within the next six months and only registered schools will now be permitted to offer their services in the state.
The department doesn’t have an exact data on number of such schools in the state. As per estimates 5,000 such schools are operating in the state. The initial registration will be valid for three years, and schools will be required to pay a registration fee of ₹5,000. Playway schools operating in a single room will be closed.
The minister stated that an online system is being established to facilitate the registration of schools so that the process can be completed in a timely and transparent manner. “All playway schools in the state will be monitored by the state-level ECCE council, which will be led by the minister of the department,” she added.
The ECCE council has developed the Navchetna curriculum for children aged 0 to 3 years and the aadharshila curriculum for children aged 3 to 6 years. The minister said that books and pencils will not be used for teaching children in playway schools. “Instead, they will be taught through play-based methods to foster their early childhood development, enhancing both their physical and mental growth. Parents-teachers WhatsApp groups will be created to ensure proper attention to the health of the children,” she added.
The minister stated that all playway schools must have adequate space for play areas and install CCTV cameras to ensure the proper monitoring of children. She appealed to parents to verify whether the school is registered before enrolling their children.
