Minister for dedicating early childhood education room in every primary school

LAHORE:In a significant move, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Monday mandated that every public sector primary school in the province must have a dedicated Early Childhood Education (ECE) classroom, addressing the current shortfall where only 21.5 percent of over 26,000 primary schools have such facilities.

Currently, only about 5,600 out of over 26,000 public primary schools have ECE classrooms, which is approximately 21.5pc of the total, leaving a significant gap. If implemented, the initiative will expand early childhood education access across the province, ensuring that 100% of primary schools are equipped with ECE facilities.

Sources in the School Education Department (SED) Punjab said that out of a total of over 43,000 public schools, 9,300 had dedicated ECE classrooms, a type of nursery education, focuses on the learning and development of children from birth to around eight years old. This means approximately 21.6pc of public schools currently offer ECE facilities. These statistics make sense as according to the Annual School Census Report 2023-24, the latest available report, prepared by the Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit of the Punjab Education Sector Reforms Programme (PESRP) within the SED Punjab, the number of ECE classrooms was 21,487 in the year 2023.

The fresh directive about the ECE classrooms in all the primary schools came during a comprehensive review meeting focused on addressing the critical shortage of basic amenities in public schools of Punjab. ‘Early learning experiences are crucial for a child's development. Every school must have a dedicated room for Early Childhood Education without exception,’ stated the minister during the meeting. The minister was also briefed on the unavailability of washrooms, clean drinking water, electricity, and other essential infrastructure in the public schools of the province.

The minister Hayat also personally contacted CEOs of several district education authorities (DEAs) to get firsthand updates on the situation. He directed that urgent measures be taken to address the shortage of facilities within 90 days. In particular, Rana Sikandar Hayat emphasised that each primary school must have at least five classrooms, including one specifically dedicated to Early Childhood Education (ECE). A committee will be formed to assess reports from districts regarding their infrastructure needs.

Rana Sikandar also stressed that there would be no compromise on service delivery and that resources should be used wherever required. He assured that the government would provide the necessary funds and revealed that a historic budget was being planned for education in the upcoming fiscal year. He also directed special attention to upgrading computer and science labs in public schools across the province.