Anganwadi children too start learning at home!

The learning continues even if anganwadis across Dakshina Kannada district have remained shut due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Children, who had enrolled for anganwadis a year ago, continue to be engaged in the learning process at home with the help of their mothers.

Owing to the Covid-19 scare, anganwadi centres has remained closed. Anganwadi workers, to sustain the learning process, had created a WhatsApp group and had enrolled mothers of children admitted in each anganwadi jurisdiction.

Anganwadi workers upload one topic on the group every week. The mothers are guided on how to teach their children by anganwadi workers.

The learning initiative was launched two weeks ago. The mothers, in turn, have to send photographs and videos of their children’s activities to the WhatsApp group.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare Usman said fun-filled activities for children are being implemented with the support of parents. This will help sustain early learning and ensure the readiness of children at home.

Makkala Jagruthi Samsthe implemented this concept of teaching at home for children with the help of mothers.

“The Samsthe sends a theme each day to learn and also a video on how to teach children, to the WhatsApp group of officials, who in turn, share it among anganwadi workers. The workers send videos to the WhatsApp group formed in each anganwadi centre,” sources told DH.

Mothers are enthusiastically teaching their children and children are also learning the activities. Anganwadi workers also visit houses of children and guide the parents. Mothers also receive tips on retaining the attention of their restless children in a meeting of Bala Vikasa Samithi.

To ensure that children do not suffer from malnutrition, the food ingredients to prepare nutritious food are distributed to the houses of each child during the lockdown period.

The anganwadi workers pack the food materials every month and give it to the parents.

The learning initiative though does have its drawbacks. The unique learning process does not benefit those children who do not have smartphones. Some parents who work as farm labourers do not get enough time to teach their children.

“Many children do not pay heed to their mothers,” said an anganwadi worker.

Aruna, an anganwadi worker at Beeriga, in Puttur, said that she is planning to visit a few localities in the anganwadi jurisdiction in the coming days and engage children in the learning process. Due to the closure of anganwadi centres, children could not be taught the basics of alphabets, from March.

“We prepare anganwadi children before they enter the first standard,” she added.