Effectiveness of Early Childhood Education Program in Govt. Schools of Punjab: A Situational Analysis

This study is aimed at determining the effectiveness of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Govt. schools of Punjab, Pakistan. The data was collected through a questionnaire from 120 teachers employed in ECE centers. The results show that initiation of ECE centers is very effective as it help the children to develop critical thinking, basic skills and knowledge that will be helpful for their whole life. Despite its positive response, government does not properly allocated funds to these programs as well as teachers are not fully trained to deal with such children. This results in divergence in teaching and learning from the desired criteria. So, planning, continuous monitoring and evaluation are needed for the fruitful results of ECE centers. Keywords: Early Childhood Education (ECE), teachers, training, learning, critical thinking