By Sonia Agarwal Bajaj, Educationist
The Indian education sector, known for its dynamic and evolving nature, is set to embrace a plethora of transformative trends in 2024. Here are top 10 trends in the Early Education space to look out for in year 2024.
- Enforcement of Minimum Age Criteria: Adhering to the National Education Policy, children below the age of 3 shall not be eligible for nursery and similarly children will be required to be a minimum of 6 years before joining grade 1.
- Strong focus on Multi-facet learning: From Anganwadis to International preschools, the focus on play based learning that allows children to explore a spectrum of learning areas instead of just focusing on literacy and numeracy.
- Rise in Teacher Training Institutes: Dedicated programs and institutes to train and equip faculty members to enhance their understanding of Early Childhood Care and Education will be in high demand and rise.
- Integration of Technology and AI: More preschools will consider exploring basic AI tools and technology to make learning more engaging and personalised.
- Theme Based Curriculums: Private preschools will increasingly opt for programs such as the PYP (Primary Years Curriculum), IEYC (International Early Years Curriculum) to enhance learning linkages and keep learning engaging for children.
- Increasing focus on Socio-Emotional Learning: Preschools will lay special emphasis on SEL learning that allows children from early years to become more emotionally aware, regulate their emotions, practice mindfulness and express gratitude. This shift will not be limited to private preschools, but the new education policy 2022 has also shared guidance on this.
- Blending Indoor and Outdoor Learning: Increasingly learning shall not be limited in the four walls of a classroom but children will get the opportunity to step outside for learning sessions.
- Connection with nature: Rise in nature schools and awareness towards sustainability has led to more curriculums and schools to advocate and create learning opportunities for children to connect, learn and co-exist with nature respectfully.
- Multilingual Learning: Children are known to have great ability to learn new languages in early years. Increasingly more preschools will become bilingual and also offer new language for children to explore and learn.
- Inclusive Classrooms and Infrastructures: Increasingly preschools will invest in infrastructure that will help support learning for all children.
These trends indicate a shift towards a more holistic, technologically integrated, and globally aware early education environment in India, focusing on both the academic and overall development of young children
