UKG: An unnecessary burden on children
The running of an additional year of class for five-year-olds is not just going against legal provisions but also causing stress for children and parents
- English
- नेपाली
“Early childhood education aimed at children aged five (above 60 months) is illegal in Nepal. The Government of Nepal can penalize these programmes anytime they want."
This was what advocate Anil Acharya had announced at a forum for private pre-school managers. This issue has been raised by child rights advocates on different occasions for a long time.
As per the Education Act’s seventh amendment (2002), pre-primary education is recognized as one year of education targeted at four-year-olds. The eighth amendment (2016) renamed it Early Childhood Education (ECE) and linked it with basic education (ECE to grade 8). The Free and Compulsory Education Act (2018) renamed ECE as Early Childhood Development and Education, defining it as one year of education focused on the holistic development of four-year-old children before entering grade 1.
Based on these legal basis, the Early Learning and Development Standards (2012) for four-year-olds (48-60 months) and the Early Childhood Development and Education Curriculum (2019) were developed. Various training packages and resource materials were created to align with these standards. Additionally, the grade 1-3 curriculum targets children aged 5 to 7 years.
Despite these legal documents, a national sample study by the Education Review Office on the Assessment of Early Childhood Education and Development (2022) found that at least 63 per cent of private and 14 per cent of community schools conduct programmes like KG, UKG, Senior KG, Pre-2, ECD-2 for five-year-old children under early childhood education.
Some community schools conduct these additional classes for five-year olds who should actually be in grade 1, to compete with private schools.
The Early Childhood Development and Education Curriculum (2019) and the previous ECD Handbook (2005) target children up to age four. There is no formal curriculum for early childhood education for five-year-olds enrolled in these additional classes. Hence, pre-schools running these extra grades for early childhood education conduct classes based on their own curriculum, often repeating grade 1 content.
Research and experience over the past 10 years, according to Bina Sharma and Leena Shrestha from the Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Association, show that these classes are stressful for both five-year-old children and their parents, even negatively affecting children’s learning in upper grades. These classes, mainly conducted as entrance preparation for grade 1 by large and popular schools, were banned by the Government in 2023.
As per a sample survey in Kathmandu Valley, 70 per cent of teachers reported that the curriculum developed for these grades is extremely academic (reading and writing) focused and heavy, causing stress for children and parents.
Global literature indicates that a strong focus on academics during the early years of a child’s life puts excessive stress on children, negatively impacting their motivation, self-confidence and attitude toward school. Following these findings, the ECD and grade 1-3 curricula emphasize holistic development. The ECD curriculum focuses on language skills to express and communicate, nutritious diets, healthy habits and positive social behaviours, personal safety and learning through daily practice and use of creativity, rather than just academics.
The grade 1-3 curriculum also promotes foundational literacy, mathematical knowledge, life skills and healthy habits, rather than a purely academic focus. Basic education aims to make children familiar with their natural and social environment, linking these experiences with holistic development.
However, there is a common misconception that children need to read and write Nepali and English alphabets as soon as they enter school due to social norms and lack of parent awareness in Nepal. Teachers also find it easier to use a teacher-centric rote learning approach even with young children. These norms and practices contradict theories of Early Childhood Education and Learning, highlighting the need for societal change.
Non-academic skills, attitudes and approaches to learning in early years play a foundational role in supporting children’s long-term learning trajectories.
Furthermore, the illegal additional classes targeting five-year-olds create a social divide from the early years with one or two years of ECE in community schools and three or four years of ECE in private schools. Education Review Office’s study (2022) also indicates significant differences in learning and development between children in community and private schools entering grade 1.
Without regulating early childhood education, the foundation of education and life itself, we cannot expect improvements in the education system. There needs to be further clarity in rules and regulations, monitoring and evaluation by relevant authorities, mainly from local governments. Additionally, support and motivation for teachers and parental awareness programmes are crucial.
