Are you planning to send your child aged 5 years or below to school soon? You may have to consider your decision as the recently released Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 pointed out that starting school too early can be counter-productive for children who are in their pre-primary years.
As per the report, a child has to be cognitively and socially ready for coping with what formal school brings, whether it be in terms of curricular expectations or classroom behaviours.
Also read: ASER Report: Bihar joins national trend to show improvement, but still long way to go
Pre-school: An important phase
It has also been mentioned in the report that although each year leading up to the time the child enters formal school is important, parents should give special important to the year prior to when their child enters 1st Grade - that is Pre-school.
Pre-school: Private vs Government
ASER 2024 points out that in private schools, there are two years of pre-school as part of their functioning structure. Whereas the concept of preparatory year in the government system is relatively new and is now getting attention.
Positive shift in pre-school admissions in 2024
{{/usCountry}}Positive shift in pre-school admissions in 2024
{{/usCountry}}According to the report, there has been a positive shift in the enrolment of children in the pre-schools in 2024 as compared to previous years. Earlier, almost 25 percent of children nationally would be in primary school even at 5 years of age.
This was mainly because of parents who did not have the economic resources to send their children to private pre-school but had high educational aspirations for their children, thought it was only rationale to admit their wards in government schools since they were of the view that an early start to schooling would benefit their children’s future chances of success.
Also read: ASER 2024: More than 80% children under 5 are enrolled in pre-primary institutions in 2024
However, in 2024, it is learnt that fewer underage children are currently enrolled in primary school, particularly in government schools.
The ASER Report 2024 views this decrease in the proportion of underage children in government primary schools in 2024 as a welcome news. It states, “With the implementation of NEP 2020, a variety of efforts are being made in the government sector for providing access to and strengthening early childhood education. Hence, the clear shift in ensuring that children do not enter formal school before age 6 is a significant structural shift which should have positive benefits in terms of children’s future development and learning journeys.”
Read more about ASER 2024 through this direct link.