EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The paper was about exploring the history and related aspects of ECE in Pakistan. The growth of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Pakistan reflects a significant shift in educational paradigms. Before independence, education was informal, mostly within communities, while formal education was accessible only to the privileged. Post-independence, the focus shifted to establishing formal education, initially overlooking ECE. From the 1970s to the 1990s, global acknowledgment of ECE's importance began shaping Pakistani education policies. Challenges persisted, particularly in rural areas due to limited resources, but efforts emerged to integrate ECE into the national education system. The 1972 National Education Policy, revised in 1992, significantly stressed ECE's importance, leading to concrete actions like establishing centers, training teachers, and designing specialized curricula for young learners. Government bodies such as the Ministry of Federal Education and organizations like NCHD and NEF, alongside NGOs such as TCF, HANDS, and SOS Children's Villages, made substantial contributions. Their initiatives aimed to broaden ECE access and elevate its quality across the nation. By the early 2000s, a targeted endeavor began to formalize specialized ECE curricula, designed explicitly to meet the developmental needs of young children. To sum up, Pakistan's ECE journey denotes a shift from informal to formal education systems, recognizing and actively responding to the significance of early childhood education. Despite persisting challenges, joint efforts between governmental and non-governmental sectors have significantly progressed ECE, striving to lay a more robust educational groundwork for future generations.