Keekli Reporter, 31st March, 2017, Shimla
Himachal Pradesh Early Childhood Care and Education (Registration & Regulation) Bill 2017 is a landmark legislation for overall development of the children up to the age of six years. The age of 0-6 years is the most sensitive phase of a child’s development. The Government of India has formulated National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy 2013, keeping in view the need of care and education of children of this age group.
However, in the State of Himachal Pradesh it has been experienced that numerous Early Childhood Care and Education Centres are functioning without any regulation and accountability to any authority. To implement the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy 2013 in its true spirit so that effective control in an amicable atmosphere can be exercised on play schools, pre-nursery schools and Child Care Centres run by various organisations in government as well as non-government sectors, and to ensure that basic quality services are available to the children in these centres, Himachal Pradesh Early Childhood Care & Education (Registration & Regulation) Bill, 2017 has been introduced in Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. On passage of this Bill our State will become first State of Union of India to bring such a landmark legislation in the country.
After implementation of this Bill all the Early Childhood Care & Education Centres will require to be registered and no new centres will be set up in the State without registration. The registration procedure has been simplified by making provision of online registration of Early Childhood Care and Education Centres. Further it has been provided that children will not be subjected to any admission examination, written or oral for giving admission in the centres and admission to the children will be given without any discrimination on caste, creed, religion, sex and disability.
Provision of constitution of Parent Teacher Association within a month of registration of centre has been made mandatory. To ensure safety and security of children it has been provided that if any untoward incidence occurs in the centre then head of the centre or institution will also be held responsible in addition to the perpetrator of the crime. However, this legislation is not just punitive but a facilitative one. It gives considerable freedom to the private institutions to take decision with regard to fee structure keeping in view the market forces and facilities being provided by the centre. It also provides guiding principles to those private entities who want to establish such centres in the State.
The Deputy Commissioners have been involved in registration and implementation of the legislation and departmental district officers have been entrusted the task of registration of Early Childhood Care and Education Centres. The work of registration and processing the applications etc. will be done by existing staff of the department and there will be no financial burden on State Exchequer on account of implementation of the Act.
