Foundations First: How NEP 2020 is Shaping India’s Early Learning Revolution

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This essay is part of the series “Five Years of NEP 2020: From Vision to Reality”

Importance of Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Early Childhood Education (ECE) is the essential foundation for all learning. Children's brains develop rapidly in the first six years, forming connections that underpin language, reasoning, and social skills. High-quality ECE boosts school readiness, bridges developmental gaps for disadvantaged children, and yields long-term benefits in education, health, and economic productivity. 

The brain’s ability to adapt—known as brain plasticity—declines as we age. Adapted from a graph created by Pat Levitt in collaboration with the Centre on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2009) 

Despite its importance, ECE in India was historically informal and limited. In 1950—51, only 303 pre-primary schools served fewer than a few thousand children. ICDS's 1975 launch marked a turning point, establishing Anganwadi centres delivering nutrition, healthcare, and preschool education. This network expanded to 14 lakh centres by 2021, making Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) the world’s largest public system for early childhood care.

Early Childhood Education is the essential foundation for all learning - yet, for decades in India, its promise remained unfulfilled, especially for disadvantaged children.

However, education took a back seat to nutrition, as Anganwadi workers struggled to balance administrative duties with play-based pedagogy. While basic literacy has improved, children lack the deeper foundational skills, such as comprehension, early math, and social-emotional development. The India Early Childhood Education Impact Study revealed alarming gaps: only 15 percent could match basic objects, and 30 percent could identify the sizes of objects. 

NEP 2020's Vision for Quality ECE

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a landmark policy framework that marks a paradigm shift by placing ECE at the heart of India’s education vision. It makes several strong recommendations for establishing quality ECE by:

• Placing ECE at the core of school education. Page 7 of the NEP notes - “Currently, children in the age group of 3-6 are not covered in the 10+2 structure as Class 1 begins at age 6. In the new 5+3+3+4 structure, a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from age 3 is also included, which is aimed at promoting better overall learning, development, and well-being.” This state includes three years of preschool (Anganwadi/pre-primary) and recommends flexible, play-based, and activity-oriented learning, crucial for holistic growth and school readiness.
• Aiming for universal access to high-quality ECE. The NEP recommends a significantly expanded and strengthened system of early-childhood education institutions  that includes multiple access points, including: standalone Anganwadis, Anganwadis co-located with primary schools, pre-primary sections in existing schools, and standalone pre-schools
• Making school readiness by the first grade a central goal of ECE. The policy lays out that “prior to the age of 5, every child will move to a ‘Preparatory Class’ or ‘Balavatika’ (that is, before Class 1), which has an ECCE-qualified teacher.” This approach is designed to foster early literacy, early numeracy, and socio-emotional skills, ensuring a smooth and confident transition to primary school.
• Mandating trained ECCE educators for all pre-primary classes and Anganwadis, requiring comprehensive pre-service and in-service training in play-based pedagogy, child development, and inclusive practices. It also requires the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to develop a National ECCE Framework setting curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment standards for students aged 3–8.

India spends nine times more on primary education than ECE. To realise NEP’s vision, we must invest in quality, trained educators, and engaging classroom materials for our youngest learners.

By clearly articulating the need for a robust ECE and delineating its key enabling conditions, NEP 2020 sets a strong policy framework for early learning.

Progress and challenges in implementing the NEP vision for ECE

Since the introduction of NEP, India has made significant progress in improving access to pre-primary education. By 2024, over three-quarters of all three-year-olds and more than 83 percent of four-year-olds in rural India will have been enrolled in some form of preschool. The revised educational continuum introduced under the NEP has also led to a significant reduction in underage and age-inappropriate enrolment of 5-year-olds into Grade 1.

Table 1: Pre-school/ECE coverage in rural India: ASER 2018, 2022, 2024

The NEP also laid the foundation for a landmark curricular reform in early childhood education through the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS), released by NCERT in October 2022. This framework strengthened the ECE-to-formal schooling continuum, enabled Anganwadis to integrate education through the revised Aadarshila curriculum and ‘Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi’ initiatives, and supported ECE integration within NIPUN Bharat. Under the Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi initiative, over 4.2 Lakh Anganwadi workers have been trained in the revised ECE curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment tools to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Anganwadi centres.

However, there are several barriers impeding quality ECE implementation as envisioned by NEP, including  

Source: Central Square Foundation,  2024

• Lack of effective learning time: The quality of ECE delivery remains a challenge, with studies showing that, on average, effective learning time on ECE is only 35 minutes per day.
• Inadequate budget allocation: Public spending on ECE is nine times lower than primary education (INR 1,200 vs. INR 10,000 annually), with only 0.1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) allocated versus the recommended 1 percent.
• Low teacher availability: Only 9 percent of pre-primary schools have dedicated ECE teachers. The ratio of Anganwadi child-to-teacher averages at 33:1, exceeding the recommended 20:1 maximum.
• Inadequate Teaching-Learning-Materials (TLMs): Only 36 percent of Anganwadi centres had complete age-appropriate teaching materials, 41 percent of educators don't use available TLMs regularly, and many centres rely on outdated materials, limiting stimulating learning experiences.
• Ineffective teacher training: Only 24 percent of ECE educators received in-service training in the past year, and over 60 percent of Anganwadi workers lack formal training in play-based pedagogy, impacting classroom quality and engagement.
• Lack of parent and community engagement: Over half of parents view Anganwadis as nutrition centres, not learning spaces. Only 18 percent of centres had external academic monitoring visits over six months, and under 10 percent had regular classroom quality or learning outcome assessments.

Five recommendations to realise the vision of NEP 2020 in ensuring quality ECE

To address persistent challenges in ECE, India must adopt integrated, evidence-based strategies that target both systemic and classroom-level barriers. There are five recommended steps that the government must take to realise the vision of NEP in ensuring quality ECE

India’s future is predicated on delivering high-quality Early Childhood Education - we cannot afford another generation missing these foundational benefits.

First, universalise a pre-primary (Balvatika) programme for 5-6-year-olds, emphasising school readiness through play-based pedagogy. Pre-primary programmes for 5-6 year olds must emphasise pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, and socio-emotional skills needed to ready children for grade 1, while maintaining the nurturing care components (nutrition, health, safety) across ages 3-6. States, such as Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Assam and Gujarat have launched dedicated Pre-School (Balvatika) programmes, with Gujarat achieving 93 percent enrollment for 5-year-olds.

Second, increase budgetary allocation and improve resource allocation. India spends only INR 1,263 per child on ECE versus INR 37,000 on school education, requiring more targeted funding for educators, resources, and infrastructure. Punjab's dedicated budget lines for ECE enabled teacher hiring, classroom upgrades, and TLM provision, improving enrollment and learning environments since 2017.

Third, expand the pool of trained, dedicated ECE educators. Uttar Pradesh is recruiting 20,000 dedicated ECE educators to deliver intensive play-based pedagogy, supported by extensive training and mentoring. Odisha's ‘Shishu Vatika’ programme is recruiting 45,000 Sishu Sevikas to provide care while teachers focus on education delivery.

Fourth, equip teachers with developmentally appropriate TLMs. Uttar Pradesh established a State Curriculum Framework based on NCF-FS and an academic package, including teacher guides and classroom resources. Odisha contextualised the NCERT-developed play-based learning kit into ‘Jadu Pedi’ using locally available resources.

Finally, launch awareness campaigns engaging parents with easy-to-use home learning activities and bite-sized content delivered via WhatsApp. Madhya Pradesh's monthly Bal Choupal programme shows parents the importance of play-based learning and provides learning activities that can be undertaken at home.

While enrollment has surged and NEP 2020 set a bold vision, ECE's promise remains unfulfilled. India cannot afford yet another generation to miss strong early learning benefits. By prioritising quality, investing in teachers and pedagogy, increasing budgets, and engaging communities, every child can be ensured the start they deserve. India's future is predicated on delivering high-quality Early Childhood Education - this must become a reality.

Anustup Nayak is a Project Director at Central Square Foundation, and lead for the Early Childhood Education and Classroom Instruction and Practices team.

Sanjay Koushik is a Senior Project Lead at Central Square Foundation, and works in the Early Childhood Education team.

• Education
• India
• Early Childhood Education
• early childhood education in india
• ece in india
• education policy 2020
• national education policy
• national education policy 2020
• nep 2020
• nep 2020 & early childhood education
• nep 2020 vision
• nep education policy
• nep vision
• new education policy 2020

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