Mohali: The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has launched ‘Aarambh’, an innovative education program to mark Children’s Day and aims to revolutionize early childhood education by enhancing parent participation.
The transformative scheme was unveiled by School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains along with chief guest Charanpreet Kaur, a class 8 student of Class 11, School of Distinction, during a state-level event held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA), Chandigarh. 500 participants attended, including education officials from four states and representatives of more than 20 non-governmental organizations.
Harjot Singh Bains, while addressing the meeting, emphasized that there are currently more than 350,000 pre-school students studying in public schools in Punjab, and early childhood education is becoming increasingly important.
He elaborated that the ‘Aarambh’ program reflects their commitment to promoting holistic early childhood development, acknowledging that more than 85% of brain development occurs before the age of six. The program introduces an innovative digital platform to build a teacher-parent community at the school level and facilitate daily sharing of educational content through WhatsApp groups. This approach will ensure continued parental guidance and involvement in children’s early learning process, particularly benefiting more than 380,000 low-income families.
The cabinet minister revealed that this measure will first be implemented in Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala, Rupnagar, Sri Muktsar Sahib in collaboration with Punjab Development Board and Rocket Learning NGO , Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Amritsar eight districts were launched. Implementation of this strategy will set new standards in early childhood education and make Punjab a pioneer in educational innovation.
The highlight of the event was a special presentation by four primary school teachers trained in Finland, who shared their expertise in implementing a holistic play-based approach in early education.
The School Education Minister recognized 40 pre-primary teachers for their outstanding contribution to early childhood education in Punjab.
Dr. Amninder Kaur (PCS), Director, SCERT, Punjab, said, “The Aarambh Scheme will build an important bridge between parents and teachers and ensure that every child in Punjab gets optimal support at home and school.”
More than 150,000 parents and 15,000 teachers witnessed the conference via video.
