Childhood Unlocked: Celebrating Karnataka’s Progress in Early Childhood Education

BENGALURU:
Key Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on supporting government systems to deliver quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) for children between the ages of 3-6, hosted the “Childhood Unlocked” event at the Bangalore International Centre, Domlur. The event brought together 150-200 ECE advocates, including senior government officials, policy experts, teachers, parents, and children, to celebrate the progress made by the state of Karnataka in furthering excellent ECE inside government schools since 2019.

“Our youngest citizens deserve an education system that unlocks their full potential. We’re thrilled to celebrate the progress made by Karnataka in providing quality ECE and look forward to continued collaboration with the government to ensure every child enters school ready to learn and ready for life,” said Swetha Guhan, Co-founder of Key Education Foundation.

“Childhood Unlocked is a platform for us to come together and reimagine what quality learning can look like for our children. We’re proud to showcase the recent progress made by the LKG and UKG model in ensuring quality ECE and share our partnership with Samagra Shikshana Karnataka towards achieving this mission,” added Swetha Guhan.

The event featured interactive exhibits, including the Bachpan Manao Stall and playful learning interactions, allowing attendees to experience playful learning and carry it back with them. The agenda included celebrating government officials who ensured quality implementation of the pre-primary program across districts, discussing future priorities for the early years, and showcasing grassroots stakeholders like teachers, parents, and children.

Early childhood is a critical period of growth, requiring nurturing and comprehensive support. Research shows that most brain development occurs in early years, and deficits at this stage can impact a child’s life trajectory. Karnataka has made consistent efforts in refining policy decisions to ensure sustained efforts for providing quality early education to children in the state.

Karnataka has been among the first few states to pioneer the initiation of Early Childhood classrooms in government schools. Started in 2019, with the introduction of kindergarten sections in 285 Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), the state now has early childhood sections in approximately 2700 government schools across the state, with a plan to expand to 5000 schools in the next 1-2 years.

Key Education Foundation’s Partnership with Samagra Shikshana Karnataka
Key Education Foundation works in partnership with Samagra Shishana, Dept. of School Education in the state of Karnataka to strengthen the quality and provision of pre-primary programs in Government Schools. The foundation takes a holistic approach, ensuring enriching classroom environments, equipping teachers with training and support, and empowering parents with resources and awareness to create opportunities for playful learning at home.