ECE graduates inspired to embrace messy play in India

Selena Fox with graduates

New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) India celebrated their largest contingent of early childhood education graduates to date in Mumbai on Sunday.

The event marked the ninth annual graduation ceremony in India for the college with 50 graduates awarded with qualifications ranging from certificate to postgraduate level.

NZTC Chief Executive Selena Fox traveled from New Zealand to attend the ceremony, sharing the importance of unstructured messy play for young children’s brain development to support language skills, fine and gross motor skills, mathematics, science, problem solving and reasoning.

“This message of play to parents, teachers, and all those caring for and educating young children is critically important. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, their physical, cognitive, and emotional strength, which is why New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum and NZTC’s programs emphasise its vital role in child development,” said Fox.

Each graduate was gifted a copy of Recipes for Messy Play – a recent collaboration between NZTC, New Shoots and Curiate to update the beloved publication that has been popular in the New Zealand early childhood sector for a number of years.

Graduate speaker Disha Aggarwal

The key achievements of the graduates were reflected on by Fox, as well as the many families, communities and young children whose lives will be influenced in the future years in positive, immeasurable ways.

Graduate speaker Disha Aggarwal shared her Bachelor of Education (ECE) learning journey at the ceremony.

“We all want to make a difference in the early childhood education field in India and NZTC has given us the opportunity to do so,” she said.

“While starting this course I was highly sceptical of how online education would work, but NZTC has shown me exactly how well it can work. This course helped me realise what my belief system was when it came to early childhood education and also helped me realise what my true potential is.”

Most outstanding student special commendations were awarded to Forum Mehta, Nadeesha Yurangi Liyana Arachchige and Ashwini Vadiraj Murad for their respective early childhood education qualifications, and the recipient of NZTC’s treasured values award was Rachael Hate.