Inclusion in ECCE: Provisions for Children with Disabilities

When a child with a disability walks through the gates of an Anganwadi centre or a primary school, what greets them matters enormously – not just for that day, but for every year of learning that follows. India’s policy landscape for early childhood care and education (ECCE) has been steadily evolving to answer this question with both clarity and urgency. From the National Education Policy 2020 to the freshly launched Navchetna and Adharshila frameworks of 2024, a web of policies now explicitly addresses the inclusion of children with disabilities (CwD) – laying out not just aspirations, but concrete strategies for teachers, Anganwadi workers, and caregivers on the ground.

NEP 2020’s commitment to inclusion from the very beginning 🔗

The National Education Policy 2020 makes its priorities unmistakably clear: ensuring the inclusion and equal participation of children with disabilities in ECCE and the broader schooling system is accorded the highest priority. This is not a passing reference. NEP 2020’s Chapter 6 (Paragraphs 6.10 to 6.14) is entirely devoted to the strategies and provisions for children with disabilities, setting the tone for every framework that follows.

What does this look like in practice? NEP 2020 calls for schools to be equipped with a range of supportive measures: one-on-one teachers and tutors, peer tutoring, assistive devices, and suitable technological interventions to ensure access. Schools and school complexes are expected to provide all children with disabilities accommodations and support mechanisms tailored to their individual needs, ensuring their full participation and inclusion – not just in academic activities, but across arts, sports, and vocational education as well.

The policy is framed in complete alignment with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, which defines inclusive education as a system where students with and without disabilities learn together, and where teaching is suitably adapted to meet diverse learning needs. NEP 2020 endorses these provisions fully, extending their scope from the foundational stage right through to higher education.

Among the specific supports NEP envisions: assistive devices and technology-based tools, textbooks in accessible formats (large print and Braille), standardisation of Indian Sign Language (ISL) across the country, and the recruitment of special educators with cross-disability training in schools. Children with benchmark disabilities may also opt for home-schooling supported by skilled educators. Teachers are to be trained to identify learning disabilities early and to support the mental health and academic progress of children with learning difficulties.

Adaptations in Vidya Pravesh and NIPUN Bharat 🔗

Two flagship initiatives – Vidya Pravesh and NIPUN Bharat – translate NEP’s broad commitments into ground-level action, with specific attention to children who may be struggling or who have disabilities.

Vidya Pravesh: making the first three months count 🔗

Vidya Pravesh is a three-month, play-based school preparation module developed by NCERT for children entering Grade 1 – particularly those who have had no prior preschool experience. Its play-based pedagogy is intentionally designed not just for neurotypical learners, but specifically to address the learning needs of children with special needs or disabilities (Divyang). The module simplifies instructions, incorporates multi-sensory materials, allows extra processing time, and supports learning in the child’s mother tongue or home language – including sign language where relevant.

This is especially significant because many children with disabilities enter formal schooling without adequate preparation. Vidya Pravesh creates a bridge – a structured yet flexible environment that helps every child, regardless of ability, find their footing before the demands of Grade 1 fully set in.

NIPUN Bharat: early identification and child-centred pedagogy 🔗

NIPUN Bharat (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy), launched by the Ministry of Education in July 2021, aims to ensure foundational literacy and numeracy for all children by the end of Grade 3. For children with disabilities, it brings two critical emphases: early identification of learning difficulties and flexible, child-centred pedagogy.

Under NIPUN Bharat, teachers are trained to identify children who need remedial support early – before learning gaps widen. The mission moves away from rote learning and standardised examinations in early grades, replacing them with observation-based, activity-driven assessment. Holistic Progress Cards (HPCs) are introduced to capture each child’s development across social, emotional, and cognitive domains – not just marks – making them a particularly useful tool for tracking the progress of children with diverse learning needs.

NCF-FS’s five-step process for teachers 🔗

The National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS), released in October 2022, operationalises NEP 2020 for children aged 3 to 8 years. It goes beyond general principles and provides teachers with a clear, structured process for identifying and supporting children with developmental concerns or disabilities. This five-step process is a practical guide for every educator working in the foundational years:

Step 1 – Observe: The teacher carefully watches each child’s engagement with learning activities, play, and social interactions, noting any signs of difficulty or delay.

Step 2 – Record: Observations are documented systematically, creating a factual record of the child’s development over time rather than relying on impression or memory.

Step 3 – Share with parents: Concerns are communicated with the child’s family in a sensitive, non-alarming way – inviting their observations and building a collaborative understanding of the child’s needs.

Step 4 – Refer to professionals: Where concerns persist, the child is referred to appropriate specialists – doctors, psychologists, or other trained professionals – for assessment and diagnosis.

Step 5 – Provide focussed support: Armed with professional input, teachers and caregivers provide targeted, individualised support. A key tool here is the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) – a personalised learning roadmap that sets specific goals, identifies the supports needed, and guides instruction for a child with a disability or developmental concern.

NCF-FS also places strong emphasis on play-based learning, recognising that it is precisely this kind of joyful, low-pressure environment that makes inclusion most possible. When children learn through play, the barriers between “typical” and “atypical” development are far less rigid.

Modifications in Navchetna and Adharshila 🔗

Two of India’s newest ECCE frameworks – Navchetna and Adharshila – were launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in March 2024, and they represent perhaps the most concrete, activity-level commitment to inclusion seen so far in Indian ECCE policy.

Navchetna: stimulation from birth to three years 🔗

Navchetna – the National Framework for Early Childhood Stimulation – covers children from birth to three years, a stage of development that had previously received far less policy attention than the preschool years. It is built on the principles of serve and return (responsive interaction between caregiver and child) and the caregiver’s three core acts: love, talk, and play.

Critically, Navchetna gives special focus to the screening, inclusion, and referral of Divyang children in every activity it prescribes. The framework equips Anganwadi Workers with 36 month-wise, age-based activities – activities that can be adapted for children with different disabilities. For a child with fine motor delays, for instance, activities may incorporate textured materials that stimulate touch and grip; for a child with visual impairment, verbal descriptions replace visual cues. These are not footnotes – the adaptations are woven into the activity design itself.

Adharshila: a curriculum for three to six years 🔗

Adharshila – the National Curriculum for ECCE – targets the three-to-six age group, aligning closely with the NCF-FS. With nearly 150 competency-based, play-driven activities spanning all domains of development (physical/motor, cognitive, language, socio-emotional, and cultural/aesthetic), it is designed as a practical, illustration-rich guide for Anganwadi Workers.

Much like Navchetna, Adharshila embeds disability inclusion directly into its activity structure: special focus has been given for the screening, inclusion, and referrals of Divyang children in every activity. Robust assessment tools are built in to track each child’s progress and tailor learning accordingly – a framework that is flexible enough to serve children across a wide range of abilities.

The Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang children 🔗

Both Navchetna and Adharshila are aligned with the Anganwadi Protocol for Divyang Children, introduced by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in November 2023. This protocol, for the first time, places children with disabilities at the centre of the ICDS scheme through a clear Screening-Referral-Inclusion mandate. It trains Anganwadi workers and Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) to identify signs of disability early, connect families with appropriate support services, and actively include Divyang children in all centre activities rather than treating inclusion as an afterthought.

Together, these two frameworks and the Divyang Protocol create a continuum of inclusion – from the first months of life through the preschool years – that is grounded in the Anganwadi system reaching over eight crore children across 13.9 lakh centres nationwide.

From policy to practice: what still needs to happen 🔗

Policies and frameworks, however well-designed, are only as effective as their implementation. The inclusion of children with disabilities in ECCE depends on a chain of conditions being met simultaneously: Anganwadi workers who are adequately trained, families who are informed and supported, communities that embrace rather than stigmatise disability, and referral systems that actually connect children to specialists. Challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited teacher training, and the digital divide remain real barriers that no framework can resolve on its own.

What is significant, though, is that India’s ECCE policy ecosystem has now moved decisively from acknowledging the problem to prescribing actionable, activity-level solutions. The progression from NEP 2020’s broad mandate to NCF-FS’s five-step process, to the specific modifications in Navchetna and Adharshila, reflects a maturing understanding of what inclusion actually requires – not just a seat in the classroom, but thoughtful adaptation of how learning itself is designed and delivered.

What do you think? Given that Anganwadi Workers are often the first point of contact for children with disabilities in India, how can their training and support systems be strengthened to make the Screening-Referral-Inclusion mandate truly effective? And when a child’s learning difficulty is identified early through the NCF-FS five-step process, what role should parents play in the IEP – and how can schools better prepare families for that conversation?

References

1. https://shikshan.org/nep-2020/equitable-inclusive-education/
2. https://www.education.gov.in/shikshakparv/docs/Inclusive_Education.pdf
3. https://morungexpress.com/education-for-cwsnneps-recommendations-sss-provisions
4. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/equitable-and-inclusive-vision-in-the-nep-2020
5. https://www.idreameducation.org/blog/nipun-bharat-vidya-pravesh/
6. https://www.bankbazaar.com/government-schemes/nipun-bharat-mission.html
7. https://aasoka.com/blog/nipun-bharat-guidelines-for-schools-2025-aasoka/
8. https://rocketlearning.org/understanding-the-national-curriculum-framework-for-foundational-education-in-india/
9. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2013429
10. https://drgeetachopra.com/ecea/
11. https://scientifictemper.com/index.php/tst/article/view/1725