Shimla: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, announced that the government will soon implement a programme to guarantee the comprehensive development of children between the ages of three and six. “This initiative highlights the state government’s commitment to providing quality early childhood education and ensuring the holistic development and nurturing of the young minds in Himachal,” he said in a statement.
According to Sukhu, the education department would implement a combination of all four Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) models recommended in the National Education Policy, 2020, under the scheme. These models encompass standalone anganwadis, anganwadis that are co-located with primary schools, pre-primary schools that serve children aged five or six and are co-located with existing primary schools, and standalone pre-primary schools, he continued.
The state government is currently operating 6,297 pre-primary sections in primary schools, which serve approximately 60,000 children and 2,377 anganwadis that are co-located with these schools, according to the chief minister.
