Early Childhood Education in India: Promises, Policies, and Pitfalls

Abstract

This chapter presents the socioeconomic-cultural-political context within which the fields of early childhood education (pre-primary education) and childhood education (primary education) have developed and expanded in India. The description includes how sociological factors such as caste, gender, religion, and language have historically impacted the education of children and how the current effects of globalization, westernization, and urbanization have been leading to socioeconomic changes in Indian society. A brief overview of the wide-ranging early childhood/childhood educational settings commonly available in India is followed by an examination of key policy reforms that directly impact early education including recent attempts to provide basic education to all children in the nation. The dire need to invest in early childhood teacher education and capacity building will also be discussed. The chapter will conclude by summarizing the current state of the field of early education in India, specific initiatives by states to improve the field, and the challenges it continues to confront from an economic and political climate that is increasingly favoring neoliberal globalization and privatization.