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Early childhood education in India: History, trends, issues, and achievements

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Abstract

The changes in the social and economic structure of India have intensified the need for universal early childhood education. The formidable challenges before the Indian Government are: to provide high quality early childhood education programs; to preserve indigenous practices such as multilinguality, family/community involvement, participation of older children as caretakers of their younger siblings; and to provide early childhood education to all children despite serious financial constraints. This article presents a brief overview of the traditional childrearing practices in India, chronicles government initiatives in early childhood education, describes the range of programs available in India, and identifies goals that will shape the future of early childhood programs in India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty, Department of Professional Studies in Education, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylramia, USA

    Jyotsna Pattnaik

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  1. Jyotsna Pattnaik
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Additional information

Portions of this article will appear in Isenberg, J.P., & Jalongo, M.R. (Eds.). (1997, in press).Trends and issues in early childhood: Challenges, controversies, and insights. New York: Teachers College Press.

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Pattnaik, J. Early childhood education in India: History, trends, issues, and achievements. Early Childhood Educ J 24, 11–16 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02430544

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02430544

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