Akangjungla
The expansion of educational institutions in Nagaland is immense. While private institutes take the lead, preschools are placed higher on the growth graph, evident by their visibility in all quarters. With scarcely any official data available on such, these are assumptions based on what is observed and heard.
Like any other educational institutions, the subject matter of running preschools is guaranteed to be followed by discussion on the requirements of the educators and the skills they need to acquire in order to be considered eligible.
In India some of the professional courses that can help obtain a preschool teaching job after securing a college degree are Basic Training Certificate, Diploma in Education and Teacher Training Certificate. Nursery Teacher Training is the most preferred. There are also courses which can be done for early childhood programmes or Montessori schools after 10+2. Over the years, more professional courses and trainings have evolved with the goal to aid the teachers, students and the institutes as a whole.
In the case of Nagaland, a Bachelor in Education (B.Ed) degree counts in as a mandatory requirement and takes precedence over the aforementioned professional courses. A person with the graduation degree plus B.Ed certificate is the picture of an ideal teacher – till the high school level.
What about the abilities and passion?
In the preschool level, the central focus is the early childhood. Besides academic instruction, the educators are expected to provide a safe and comfortable environment in which children can learn and develop social, motor and adaptive skills. Such a learning environment is indispensable.
Preschools in Nagaland are also following a pattern where, during the school days, educators are responsible for providing opportunities and activities for structured and unstructured learning. Regular meeting and discussion with parents on the children’s behavior and development have become a routine.
It goes without saying that love of children, an understanding of the needs and abilities of the children, along with a great amount of care, patient and compassion and also passion for teaching exemplifies an early childhood educator.
With nations around the world becoming more aware on the importance of early childhood learning, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also upholds the value that, “Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than preparation for primary school. It aims at the holistic development of a child’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs in order to build a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing. ECCE has the possibility to nurture caring, capable and responsible future citizens.”
Laying emphasis on early childhood education being more than just teaching and learning basic skills, UNESCO adds, “Early childhood care and education is one of the best investments a country can make to promote human resource development, gender equality and social cohesion, and to reduce the costs for later remedial programmes.”
While the career prospects in early childhood education is only expected to grow bigger, stepping into a preschool classroom with academic and professional degrees alone would be ineffectual. In the quest for the ‘professional,’ the inherent abilities and other skills should not take the role of a shadow.
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