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PC: The Hindu

Context

India's secret but severe employment dilemma stems not only from a shortage of jobs but also from the birth lottery, which affects millions of children from the start. As a result, prudent spending on early childhood education and parental involvement will help young children learn more effectively.

What is the lottery of birth? 

• The "lottery of birth" concept holds that a child's destiny is heavily influenced by the circumstances into which they are born, such as family income, geographical location, caste, gender, or religion, and access to health, nutrition, and education.
• These are circumstances beyond the child's control that can influence their prospects, development, and future results.

The Power of Early Investment

• The Heckman Curve demonstrates the high return on investment that early childhood development provides.
• Every dollar spent on early childhood education (ECE) can generate a return of $7 to $12.
• Children who receive high-quality early childhood education are more likely to earn more money and have better lives.
• By the age of five, major cognitive, emotional, and motivational deficits emerge, necessitating intervention before formal schooling begins.
• Unfortunately, this important window of development is frequently lost, particularly by poor groups.

Observations

• Nobel Laureate Prof. James Heckman stated, "Some kids win the lottery at birth; far too many don't—and most people struggle to catch up."
• Indian context: This is especially true in India, where employment issues are entrenched in childhood poverty.
• For example, a kid born in India has a one in five risk of being born into poverty, which has an impact on their health, nutrition, education, and future wages.

What is the role of the "lottery of birth" in defining a child's future in India? 

• Ensures Early Access to Basic Needs: A child born into poverty frequently lacks access to proper nutrition, healthcare, and early education, all of which are necessary for cognitive and physical growth. For example, a child born into a rural impoverished household may be malnourished and underprepared for school, reducing long-term potential.
• Creates early learning and earnings gaps: By the age of five, inequalities in language, numeracy, and motivation are evident, making it difficult for disadvantaged children to catch up in school and later in life. For example, just 15% of pre-primary toddlers could match fundamental objects, but 30% could recognize larger and smaller numbers, demonstrating early learning gaps.
• Perpetuates Intergenerational Poverty: Children born into poverty are frequently locked in low-opportunity contexts, perpetuating the cycle into adulthood due to inadequate human capital development. For example, without quality early education, a poor child is much less likely to complete school or find skilled job, perpetuating the poverty cycle.

Challenges Facing India’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) System

Inadequate Instructional Time and Learning Outcomes

• Over 5.5 crore children (ages 3 to 6) are enrolled in 14 lakh Anganwadis and 56,000 government pre-primary schools, yet learning outcomes remain poor.
  
  
• Anganwadi workers spend only 38 minutes/day on preschool instruction, far below the prescribed 2 hours, limiting the cognitive development in the formative years.
  
  
• Only 9% of pre-primary schools have a dedicated ECE teacher, indicating a serious gap in instructional manpower.
  
  
• According to the India Early Childhood Education Impact Study:
  
  
• Only 15% of children could match basic objects, essential for letter recognition in Class 1.
  
  
• Only 30% could identify larger and smaller numbers, crucial for early arithmetic skills.
  
  

Bypassing the ECCE Stage

• A worrying trend is that many children are skipping preschool and entering directly into Class 1, without foundational readiness:
  
  
• 2% of 3-year-olds
  
  
• 5.1% of 4-year-olds
  
  
• Nearly 25% of 5-year-olds
  
  
• This leads to poor learning trajectories and early academic failure, as these children lack basic literacy and numeracy skills.
  
  

Resource Constraints and Underutilisation

• Government spending on ECCE is disproportionately low at only ₹1,263 per child annually, compared to ₹37,000 per student in the broader school education system.
  
  
• Most ECCE funding goes towards teaching-learning materials, which often remain underutilized due to:
  
  
• Lack of trained educators
  
  
• Limited instructional time
  
  
• Inadequate implementation capacity
  
  

Weak Supervision and Oversight

• Each supervisor is responsible for monitoring an average of 282 Anganwadi centres, resulting in poor programme implementation and accountability.
  
  
• This administrative overload directly affects the quality of monitoring and teacher support in the ECCE system.
  
  

Low Parental Engagement and Awareness

• Many parents, especially in low-income and rural households, lack the tools, knowledge, or confidence to support early learning at home.
  
  
• Despite their interest in children’s education, limited educational background and time constraints hinder effective parental participation.
  
  

Need for Targeted Funding and Reforms

• Urgent need to hire dedicated ECE teachers and recruit more supervisors to enhance the quality of early education.
  
  
• Increased and targeted investment is crucial for bridging the learning gap and achieving NEP 2020 goals related to universal foundational literacy and numeracy.

Who are the key stakeholders responsible for improving ECE outcomes in India? Anganwadi workers and government pre-primary school teachers are frontline educators.State governments are responsible for hiring dedicated ECE teachers and creating infrastructure.Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in reinforcing learning at home.Supervisors and training institutions ensure quality and pedagogy through monitoring and capacity building.The Government of India provides funding and policy direction, though current spending is limited (₹1,263 per child annually).

Way forward: 

• To improve early childhood education, the government should increase spending per child to ensure adequate instruction, competent teachers, and excellent learning materials. Infrastructure improvements, such as more Anganwadi centres and pre-primary schools staffed by specialized instructors, would assist bridge existing gaps and improve learning results.
• Increase Parental Engagement and Community Participation: Provide parents with information, assistance, and digital tools to help them participate in their children's early education. Community-based programs, such as Bal Choupal, should be expanded worldwide, and EdTech solutions used to give ongoing support, resulting in a strong home-school learning ecosystem.

Practice Question Q. Discuss the role of parent engagement, resource optimization, and governance reforms in transforming ECE outcomes for India’s demographic dividend by 2047.