BHUBANESWAR: Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida on Monday released Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU’s) Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE) course in Odia.
It is a one-year diploma course which focuses on early childhood education, child health and nutrition, and students can pursue it after completing Class XII.
Parida said introduction of the course in Odia is a welcome step and it will particularly benefit anganwadi workers and trainers besides pre-school educators who can pursue the course in Odia. “Making the curriculum available in Odia will make learning simple and accessible,” she added.
Previously, IGNOU offered the course in English, Hindi and Tamil. Stating that early education forms the foundation of the entire education system, Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj said, “The DECE course offered by IGNOU will be of interest to educators, trainers and workers working with children in the birth to six years age group in diverse settings such as creches, preschools, pre-primary classes, nursery schools, anganwadis and Bal Vatikas.”
The minister further highlighted that the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 emphasises strengthening early education and promoting education up to higher levels in the mother tongue.
During the programme, anganwadi workers enrolled in the course joined virtually. Among others, IGNOU vice-chancellor Uma Kanjilal, commissioner-cum-secretary of Higher Education department Aravind Agrawal and director of Women & Child Development department Monisha Banerjee were present.
Earlier in June this year, IGNOU and the Higher Education department had signed an MoU according to which, IGNOU will provide courses such as bachelor’s and master’s degrees, postgraduate diplomas, diplomas, certificates, and specialised programmes in Odia language across the state.