Pre-primary Education – Nurturing Children and Fostering Holistic Development

The first anniversary of a venture is an important milestone. It is a vantage point from where one can see how far the venture has come and how far it has to go. In the first anniversary edition of The Next World, we explore the various facets of pre-primary education, an important milestone in any student’s life.

We started The Next World with a vision to provide the K–12 sector with a platform for debate and discussion, where all stakeholders can come together, speak and be heard. In the last couple of editions, we have covered topics ranging from the importance of self-learning to the growing adoption of AI-based products in the K–12 sector.  In this edition, we investigate early childhood education strategies, myths and more.

Pre-primary education heralds the beginning of formal education and lays the foundation for lifelong learning. The National Curriculum Framework for early childhood care and education states that learning during the pre-primary years happens more by observation and experience than by being actively taught in a classroom. Though this is a calculated move in order to free pre-primary education from the burden of structure, it often backfires. The curriculum often runs the risk of being oversimplified as playtime, with little scope for learning. The opposite, an overstructured preparatory stage to get admissions in best schools, is also not desirable. Rama Devi, Head Subject Matter Expert (pre-primary) at Next Education, opines that a balance should be maintained between play and learning, and suggests incorporating playful methods to make learning a fun experience for toddlers. 

It has been acknowledged that children are active agents of their own conceptual development. The physical environment in playschools and pre-primary sections of K–12 schools should be designed in such a manner that it is conducive to learning.  It must provide ample space for children to move and let them explore their surroundings and learn from them.  A child’s consciousness is moulded in the first six years of their childhood. These years are seen as foundational for their creative pursuits, career choices and most importantly, character development.  Therefore, the aim of this issue is to discuss the best ways of facilitating learning for preschoolers.

Other topics that we discuss in this issue include ways to help students cope with stress, encourage discipline in classrooms and the growing addiction of children to online games.

We aim to make further strides in the field of education, and provide more and more curated articles on topics that d need to be addressed in this context. With the help of our magazine, we also strive to open the channels of discussion among K–12 stakeholders. On that note, we welcome you to our first-anniversary issue.