Rocket Learning convenes second edition of early childhood care conference in Delhi

With the theme focused on spotlighting the Science and Economics of ECCE for a progressive system, the event was graced by BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, VK Paul, Member - NITI Aayog, Mirai Chatterjee, Director, SEWA Social Security, Professor Venita Kaul, and Professor Emerita Education, Ambedkar University, among others.

Edtech non-profit Rocket Learning has been striving for equity in quality early education access to India's youngest children (up to eight year old).

Over 20 speakers including senior government officials, practitioners, policymakers, and experts through curated dialogues expanded on the intersection of these two disciplines playing a pivotal role in shaping childhood development, early stimulation, neurobiology for ages 0 to 3 and critical learning paradigms for ages 3 to 6.

And an economic lens into the financing and larger labour and productivity implications of ECCE, combining to enable an equal foundation early for all India's children.

Delivering the keynote address, Secretary Sanjay Kumar, said the importance of early education has become very clear over the last few years and is clear in the latest National Education Policy.

"The department is putting every effort to ensure this is implemented in the next couple of years, as nobody has the luxury of time wherever future generations are involved. In addition, a large number of social determinants that determine the outcome are outside the department. We're one society, and all of us need to come together for this need," the secretary added.

CEO NITI Aayog, BVR Subrahmanyan, as per of his intervention during a fireside chat with Ashish Dhawan, Founder - The Convergence Foundation and Central Square Foundation spoke of how some kids at the age of two and three could recite immaculate Sanskrit verses not just a sentence or two, but actually could hold forth for 20 to 30 minutes reciting.

"Which actually shows that the brain grows in the early years. The point is, it shows the capacity of the human mind and the amount it grows in the first few years if it is adequately nurtured. The emphasis now on Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi is very important and is actually tilting the balance back in the right direction," Niti Aayog CEO said.

Ashish Dhawan, Founder - TCF and CSF added, "High-quality ECCE not only boosts economic growth but also enhances income prospects for children, with a 14 per cent higher likelihood of becoming high earners over their lifetimes. Investing in pre-primary education improves long-term academic success, evidenced by increased schooling attainment and higher graduation rates."

"India's current investment in ECCE falls short of global benchmarks, highlighting the need for increased funding and resource allocation. To address this, expanding human resources and educator training, conducting school readiness surveys, and implementing innovative urban strategies to reach underserved populations can help. Comprehensive data collection and improved governance mechanisms are essentials and by prioritizing ECCE and fostering collaboration between relevant stakeholders, we can ensure a brighter future for India's youngest learners and commit to their school and life readiness," Dhawan said.

VK Paul, NITI Aayog said, "We need to focus a lot more on infants. There needs to be a movement on behavioural change. Nutrition is a behavioural issue. Behaviors can be changed, and we'll have to work on that. We need to create an urban system that builds from what we've learnt in the rural areas but is localized. It's time to be ambitious, we should be ambitious towards the goal of Viksit Bharat."

At Udaan 2024, it celebrates its commitment to nurturing every child's holistic development. As it explores the importance of ECCE, we recognize the need for increased investment, stronger partnerships, and expanded educator training to fulfil India's vision for equitable early childhood development.

Rocket Learning is supporting this mission, reaching 2.5 million children across 9 states, with gratitude to all who share the dedication.

As a major partner to the Indian government in strengthening ECCE state capacities and in the planning and implementation of Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi, Rocket Learning has been empowering low-income parents, Anganwadi workers and primary teachers to intellectually stimulate their youngest in their foundational years of 3 - 8 years. Impacting 2.5 million children, through 9 states and 100,000 digital communities, Rocket Learning is on a mission to reach 40 million children by 2040. (ANI)