State-Level ECCE Orientation Held for BEEOs in Himachal

Shimla: A five-day state-level orientation programme on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) was organised under the PM SHRI scheme to strengthen pre-primary education in Himachal Pradesh. Around 71 participants from six districts took part in the programme.

The programme was inaugurated in the presence of Gyan Chand, Deputy Director of Elementary Education and District Project Officer, Kullu, and Satish Jaspa, Principal, DIET Kullu. Officials and ECCE coordinators from SCERT Solan, Samagra Shiksha and DIET Kullu also attended.

The orientation focused on strengthening the capacity of Block Elementary Education Officers (BEEOs) to effectively implement ECCE at the school level. Participants were familiarised with the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS), along with various dimensions of child development.

Sessions covered language and communication, cognitive, physical and motor development, social-emotional skills, creativity and self-reliance, with emphasis on activity-based and child-centred learning.

Special focus was placed on teaching resources such as ‘Himvatika’ and ‘Jaadui Pitara’ to make learning more engaging through toys, games, stories, puppets, puzzles and locally relevant materials.

The programme also highlighted the ‘Pehli Shikshak–Maa’ initiative, community participation, assessment, mentoring and monitoring to strengthen coordination between homes and schools.

Participants discussed action plans for improving pre-primary education in their respective blocks, including continuous academic support for teachers and greater parental participation. Resource persons from Pratham Education Foundation—Kuldeep, Kewal Krishna, Jagriti and Purushottam—provided training and academic support during the programme.