Azim Premji University along with the Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL) organised a two-day seminar on 23^rd and 24^th September 2024 in Bengaluru. 

The seminar titled, ​‘Indo-Finnish Research Seminar on Education: Charting Collaborative Pathways for the Future’ brought together academicians and researchers from three Universities: Azim Premji University, University of Jyväskylä (Finland) and University of Helsinki (Finland). The seminar was meant to provide a common platform to discuss specific themes and issues related to education and research in the two countries through a mix of plenary sessions, roundtable discussions and workshops. 

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 gives due importance to quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for all children in India. It recognises that the first six years of life are important for children’s development and that learning is closely linked to good health and nutrition. 

The policy underscores the importance of a play and activity-based curriculum as well as trained teachers so that children are prepared for learning in formal schools. This is also a landmark policy in India, as for the first time, ECCE has come under the ambit of school education with 3 – 8 years now recognised as the first stage in the structure of school education in India. 

Children, especially from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, lack opportunities to attend quality ECCE programmes which impacts the development of their school readiness skills that are required for success in formal schools. A clear policy thrust on quality ECCE and the concerns around it, makes it important that we come together to discuss these themes and deliberate on research topics that can further inform our understanding of and support the implementation of the policy on the ground.

The roundtable session on ​‘Pathways to quality early childhood education’ was conceptualised to engage the seminar participants in discussions pertinent to quality, equity, and inclusion in the learning and development of children from birth to 8 years of age. It was envisaged as an interactive session to discuss multiple issues related to ECCE both from India and Finland, and to explore any similarities despite the varied contexts. The session had four presenters, and each shared their work which was followed by a discussion. 

The first presentation by Anna-Maija, Dean and Professor at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyvaskyla, on ​‘Can research increase understanding of factors fostering learning and educational engagement’ laid out the dimensions of quality in Finland’s early childhood education and care (ECEC). It provided an overview of existing research themes and projects concerning young children. The presentation drew our attention to the range of studies undertaken at the University of Jyvaskyla and the importance given to diverse methodologies in research with young children. The studies were qualitative, quantitative or mixed-method research on a range of themes related to children’s development, participation and well-being.  It was welcoming to see that ​‘Play’ emerged as a topic of mutual interest and exploration, which in the light of NEP 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS), 2022 is relevant and significant for the ECCE and research landscape in India.

The second presentation by Bhuvaneswari Balasubramaniam, School of Education, Azim Premji University, on ​‘Exploring early childhood transitions of children on the autism spectrum’ discussed the need to understand the challenges faced by children on the autism spectrum during their early childhood transitions. The study aims to capture the experiences of parents, teachers and early intervention professionals to gain insight into the nature of these challenges. it explores the strategies used by them to support children with autism. The findings from the research will be used to develop a handbook for parents on how to guide their children with autism spectrum disorder during the early years transition phases.

Rima Kaur and Pranalee Sharma, School of Continuing Education and University Resource Centre, Azim Premji University were the third to present.  Their area was ​‘Co- developing ECE curriculum across Northeastern States’ elucidated the journey of co-creating contextually relevant early childhood education curriculum across six northeastern states- Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram. It outlined the approach and process followed in developing a state level contextual ECE framework, the challenges involved, and the learnings gained from this endeavour. The discussions alluded to the need for systematically documenting the process of State level curriculum development and capturing the findings from its field testing in the ECE centres. 

The final presentation by Shipra Suneja, School of Education, Azim Premji University, was on ​‘Young children’s experiences in early childhood education settings’. The presentation examined the lived experiences of children in early childhood education settings through children’s inquiries, their relationships with people and space, and their exploration of the learning environment. The presentation laid out the need to include children’s voices in the ECE settings. 

The roundtable session allowed us to understand the nature of ECCE studies done in the Universities, delve deeper into the specific research topics and chart out potential areas of interest. As one reflects on the discussions, one can identify that the research done across the Universities is driven by questions that concern children’s overall wellbeing, development and learning. The studies were diverse in their approach and scope; their outcomes varied in terms of creating new knowledge on educational and pedagogical issues, providing practical tools for professionals working in ECCE, supporting parents and caregivers and informing the teaching and learning at the University.

By the end of the two-day seminar, we could identify several avenues for future collaboration beyond research. Some ideas that emerged were on co-developing resources and courses, conducting online sessions with students from the three Universities and organising guest lectures by faculty.

Clearly one can assume that the benefits from such academic collaborations extend beyond student learning. These can also broaden the perspectives of academia to examine educational topics from multiple lenses. For example, our Finnish colleagues conducted a workshop with the MA in Education students of Azim Premji University. 

This workshop on ​‘Play based learning and creative problem solving’ was attended by the students who have selected Early Childhood Education (ECE) as their focus area. It was interesting as the instructor extended the concept of ​‘play’ in the early years to include what is known as ​‘risky play’. The concept of ​‘risky play’ includes any form of play that involves some degree of risk for those playing it. In early childhood, this may include play that involves climbing, hanging or swinging from heights, or fast paced games with uncontrolled speed like running, cycling, playing with risky tools and so on. 

The hand-on activities in this workshop pushed our students to incorporate ​‘risky play’ in their teaching plans and they had to generate specific ideas on how this can be done. The session was perfectly timed as the students were preparing to teach young children in Government run Anganwadi centres as part of their semester 3 field practice. 

The discussions over the two days of the research seminar highlighted several cross-cutting themes for reflection and future engagement. While this may seem like a good start, the question to ask is, how do we take these discussions forward? How do we sustain this initial excitement beyond the seminar to chart out any plan for future collaboration? As one reflects on the two days, it may perhaps be safe to assume that overall, there was an intent to have cross-country partnerships, either by specific groups or individuals. 

The next step may perhaps be to convene in smaller groups online, identify specific ways to engage and create a plan. However eventually, the success of any such collaboration will largely depend on the individuals’ priorities, time and teaching commitments. And so, beyond this, one may need to wait and see what happens ​‘when the rubber meets the road’.

About the author:

Ira Joshi teaches Early Childhood Education (ECE) courses in the MA Education and the Post Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education programmes at the Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. Her areas of work include curriculum and pedagogy in early years, programme planning and management, media and children.