Primary education is the first formal stage of a child’s education, coming after preschool but before secondary school. It takes place in primary schools, elementary schools, first and middle schools. Primary education is also referred to as early childhood education. This stage is the most important for children as they learn basic skills in a structured environment. But before we go into the specifics, let us look at what happens during this stage. What does it consist of?
Objectives
There are many aims and objectives for primary education. Children should be given an opportunity to develop their individual faculties, develop an appreciation of cultural diversity, and cultivate healthy attitudes toward human labour. Throughout their education, children should learn the value of cooperation and work together with others for the common good. They should also develop character, kindness, honesty, and respect for others. There are many ways to achieve these goals. Below are some of the main goals of primary education.
Special education programmes
In the United States, special education is provided to children with disabilities. The federal law requires that special education services be provided in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Because of the unique needs of each child, these programs may vary considerably from one another. While the services provided are different for each child, they always follow the IDEA (Inclusive Design for Education) process. In Canada, however, the dominant model of education is inclusion.
Curriculum
The core curriculum for primary education specifies the hours of study and the total academic load of applicants. It sets the overall annual number of hours of subject study and the correlation of hourly learning contents within educational domains. Besides this, the curriculum specifies the number of pedagogic activities that must be carried out to ensure that learners are acquiring core competencies. The following sections present the core curriculum for primary education. They include: The first steps in reading, oral communication, and social and civic values.
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Costs
The absence of school fees does not necessarily mean that primary education is free, however. Other costs remain a significant barrier to primary enrolment. Such costs include required school uniforms, textbooks, and general school supplies. These fees also contribute to household expenses, such as transportation and sending children to school instead of working. These costs must be addressed as part of phasing in reforms. The World Bank should clarify its position on textbook charging schemes and revise its policies regarding fees for non-public primary education.
Availability
Availability of primary education is not uniformly spread across states. It suffers from various problems. Various studies have been conducted to assess these problems. Grover (1988) emphasized on the importance of better provision of physical facilities in schools. Other authors, such as Panda (2001), studied the variation of school accessibility across districts. Barua (1999) emphasized on the common problems faced by schools. The percentage of primary schools that have toilets and drinking water was also assessed.
Inquiry based learning
Introducing inquiry based learning into the primary school classroom offers rich inquiry opportunities. Since there is usually one teacher per class, the teacher can use the inquiry process to connect ideas from different learning areas. To illustrate this, I watched a teacher in a Year 1 classroom as the children were reading nursery rhymes and developing early reading skills. As they listened to the story, a student raised a question about a hill. This question sparked an inquiry experience that spanned six weeks. Students then learned about basic concepts in mathematics and science.
