JOIN USAnganwadi centres to become learning hubs
Anganwadi centres will now be learning centres, with the Ministry of Women and Child Development making an announcement on Wednesday that children in the age group of 3 to 6 years will receive early childhood care (ECCE) and foundational education in these childcare centres. Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani said that anganwadi workers across 13.9 lakh centres will be trained in the next eight months by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development and an amount of ₹600 crores has been set aside for the same.
The focus on anganwadi centres have till now been on nutrition, and an ECCE task force has been constituted to prescribe recommendations. It conducted a consultative process over a year and a half, and a report was submitted early this year. Children will be taught with indigenous toys, games and other activities, the minister said.
“The task force recommended that a 3-day training programme should be held, with eventual refresher courses, including a workshop on how to make indigenous toys. The ECCE task force has also suggested that the community should be involved in the programme,” Irani said.
WCD secretary Indevar Pandey said that the ministry had held a deliberation with officials from all states, with only two states saying that they might have issues with implementations. The ministry said that funding to states will not be a concern.
Irani said that learning material has been tested in seven states. “We had a detailed consultative process, and 15 lakh parents took part in the process, where toys from indigenous material, activity-based learning and other learning materials were tested across 1 lakh community driven projects,” the minister said.
Anganwadi centres, in the last few years, have been given smart devices to record the nutrition and growth parameters of the children, and learning outcomes will also be added in this, official said.