Assessment in Early Childhood in Pakistan: What needs to be changed? Some useful suggestions.

 

Assessment in Early Childhood in Pakistan: What needs to be changed? Some useful suggestions.

By Ahmadyar 

In Pakistan, our current ECE (Early Childhood Education) assessment often focuses more on "grading" than "learning." We treat small children like university students, which kills their natural curiosity. To improve this, we need a shift toward a more caring and practical approach.in this respect I have some suggestions,which are following.

Ditch the Exams: Stop taking formal sit-down exams for Nursery and KG. It creates Examephobia" before they even turn five.

Focus on 'Observation': Teachers should carry a small diary to note down when a child shares a toy or learns a new word. This is real assessment.

Use Checklists, Not Marks: Instead of giving 80/100, use simple checklists like "Can hold a pencil," "Can jump on one foot," or "Can follow two-step instructions."

Holistic Report Cards: The "Result Card" should talk about their confidence, manners, and physical health, not just their A-B-Cs.or Academic performance.

Teacher Training: Most teachers don't know how to assess PreSchool students.There  should be training workshops for them.

Parent-Teacher Dialogue: Instead of one-way "Result Days," have "Display Days" where children show what they made, and parents talk about their behavior at home.

No Ranking: Stop the "1st, 2nd, 3rd" position system in ECE. It discourages children who are late bloomers.

Health Checks: Assessment must include basic checks for eyesight, hearing, and nutrition (stunting), as these directly affect learning.
(I have also shared these ideas with many preschool teachers and school leaders during my trainings on early childhood education.")