Satellite School For Children and Bodakdev School For Children Setting the Standard High for Pre-school Education

Amidst the debates on the implementation of the recently announced National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) which have taken the education fraternity to the storm, two schools from Gujarat providing pre-school education, have set an example for the other schools. While the National Council For Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is working on developing the curriculum in accordance with NEP, Ahmedabad based Satellite School For Children (SSFC) and Bodakdev School For Children (BSFC) have been following the syllabus in compliance with NCERT guidelines in pre-primary education since last academic year. A total of 135 teachers have been given the training to follow the syllabus so that Senior KG students entering class one find it easy to understand the course.

Manan Choksi, Executive Director, SSFC and BSFC

Elaborating the details, Mr. Manan Choksi, Executive Director of both the schools said, “The NEP has been welcomed by the whole education fraternity including scholars and personalities. However, the new curriculum suggested in NEP will take at least 2-3 years for implementation. Advancing from nursery to primary grade could be difficult for some children. When the NCERT released the guidelines for pre-schools, we immediately realised that this is the way forward and hence decided to comply with it voluntarily. This has helped our students as their fundamentals are clear when they get promoted to the 1^st standard.”

Interestingly, Satellite School For Children and Bodakdev School For Children are the only pre-schools in Gujarat which follow syllabus compliant to NCERT guidelines in pre-primary education since last academic year. Both the schools boast around 1,475 students in Early Child Care (ECC), Nursery, Junior KG, and Senior KG put together. The toddler-friendly campus, kind-hearted teaching staff, well-designed learning process and continuous focus to attend a child’s curiosity are the few reasons that helped both SSFC and BSFC to win the trust of the parents’ community in Ahmedabad.

In order to follow the NCERT guidelines in pre-schools, the teachers need to be well trained and qualified. SSFC and BFSC have always been choosy while recruiting the teachers. The teachers at SSFC and BSFC are given mandatory training of 36 hours/year on how to prepare a syllabus based on NCERT guidelines and smoothly implement it.

“Since there is no regulation on pre-primary education and Right to Education (RTE) is not applicable in preschool schools, there is no standard and well-thought syllabus which a school can follow. Off lately but very correctly, the government has taken a bold and visionary step by advocating pre-schools to follow the NCERT guidelines. This will have a long-lasting positive effect on students who will shape the future of new India,” added Mr. Choksi.