The Directorate of Education had first decided to regulate preprimary education in Goa only a few years ago as the state saw a number of play schools mushrooming across the state. Many of these pre primary schools were functioning from dingy apartments sans basic infrastructure.

The education department, however, got poor response from preprimary institutions for the registration as the Goa School Education Rules, 1986, does not have any provision to regulate playschools. Also, the state does not have any control over preprimary schools as they do not get any funds from the Goa government.

But the DoE has now taken the task of registration seriously as regulation of preprimary education has found a mention in the Right of Child to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 of the Union government.

The RTE requires that states should provide free pre-school education to children from the age of three to six as preparation for school education. In view of this provision, the first step for Goa would be to regulate the existing playschools in Goa. States have been provided a deadline of three years by the centre to implement provisions of RTE.

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The DoE has begun the process of providing registration numbers to the 448 preprimary schools identified by it. The preprimary schools that do not display these registration numbers prominently outside their premises for the information of parents seeking admissions for their wards will be considered illegal, sources said.

Sources informed that most of the preprimary schools functioning in Goa offer Konkani and Marathi as medium of instruction. The medium of instruction used in the playschools though is yet to be recorded in the official records.

Source: TOI