LAHORE: During early year of the pandemic in 2021, 73 percent of the children accessed free printed materials via text messages while 35 percent had access to resources on television.

This was revealed in finding of a study on, "Early childhood care and education participation in distance learning" presented by Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) on Tuesday at the Project Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) office, School Education Department.

The study said there was a strong and positive trend of play-based at home with parents, with guidance from teachers. According to the study, more than 85% of the parents engaged with their children in play-based learning activities including storytelling and book reading to keep them stimulated. However, there is evidence of negative disciplining techniques also being practiced at home as 28 percent of the parents reported using physical punishment for disciplining their children.

The study deployed a mixed-methods approach with quantitative data complemented by qualitative key informant interviews and focus-group discussions spread across eight districts, 2000 households, and 150 schools in Punjab.

It is important to identify disabilities early and support children for complete inclusion. Sadly 'inclusive' approaches require major shifts in attitudes at home and the school. For the 7.1% of the children identified with disabilities and there is an urgency to address inclusion comprehensively and in collaboration between the school, home and support services. The study explored key thematic questions pertaining to early years in COVID-19 with respect to the pandemic response, subsector prioritization, learning at home.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021