Analysis of the teacher training programs for early childhood education in mumbai, India

Early childhood is the most crucial period in the development of an individual so it is important that a child gets a conducive and a stimulating environment in the crucial periods of his/her life, which would enable him/her to thrive. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is assuming importance for the holistic development of very young child. Case study approach was formulated for this study. Five ECE Teacher training programs were randomly selected and analyzed on pedagogical aspects. The results show that there marked variation in duration of training. The curriculum content of the existing ECE teacher education programs lacks relevance. Many training colleges do not emphasize enough on developmentally appropriate practices. It is concluded that Government policy with respect to pre-school education should be formulated, implemented and regulated. Age of admission to this course should be increased to 18 years and minimum qualification should be of class XII. The training atmosphere should be flexible, warm and permissive. The universities, which are implementing self-financing courses, may also be encouraged to opt for this model.