Tamil Nadu Playschools Association (TNPSA) has urged the Union Ministry of Education to establish a separate regulatory board for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), citing the need for child-centric policies for preschools.
In a representation submitted to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a copy of which was released to media on Friday, the association highlighted that preschools catered to children aged 3 to 6, a critical phase accounting for nearly 85% of brain development. Quality ECCE played a key role in school readiness, emotional regulation, and long-term learning outcomes.
The country had nearly five lakh pre-primary institutions serving over 2.6 crore children, and Tamil Nadu had a little over 5,000 preschools. The preschools continued to be governed under nursery and primary school regulations, which were largely academic and not developmentally appropriate, the TNPSA said.
The association recommended a dedicated ECCE Board with age-appropriate curriculum guidelines, teacher qualification norms, safety standards and quality monitoring systems. It also said the ECCE sector was a major employment generator, particularly for women, with over 20 lakh jobs expected by 2030.
Association president Calvary Thiyagarajan said the interaction with the Minister marked a positive step for the ECCE sector. Madurai Pre-Schools Association president Karbaga Bhuvaneswari, general secretary Pradeepa, joint secretary Nithya and treasurer Sathya Rekha were present, the release said.
Published – January 02, 2026 06:41 pm IST
