BHUBANESWAR: After enhancing incentives for anganwadi workers, Odisha government has decided to open play schools in selected anganwadi centres (AWCs) to improve the quality of education at the elementary level.
The play schools will be opened at the AWCs collocated with primary schools in urban, peri urban and block headquarters on the lines of English medium nursery schools.
The pre-school children will be taught in NCERT curriculum, customised with common English. The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme that provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school will be attached.
While the ECCE, an important component under SSA programme aims at providing early stimulation to the children of three to six years age group and creating an opportunity for girls to attend schools who are deprived of such rights due to the burden of sibling care, the addition of play school will make the children school ready with foundational literacy and numeracy.
As per the modalities being finalised, the children of the play class (up to five-years-old) will attend anganwadi for supplementary nutrition programme from 9 am to 10 am and then participate in the academic activities under the guidance of the play school from 10 am to 12.30 pm before having the mid-day meal from the AWC.
Two teachers (preferably women) from each school will be trained for handling small children, ensuring proper transition from play class to Grade l, creating child-friendly learning situations.
At a recent high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, it has been decided to open 5,000 play schools initially and allow children, who are not enrolled in AWCs, to take admission to these schools.
The departments of School and Mass Education (SME), Women and Child Development (W&CD) and SC/ST Development have been asked to jointly identify the 5,000 schools with collocated AWCs.
The district education officers, welfare officers and social welfare officers will be engaged for mapping of the schools at district level.
A senior W&CD department official said once the play schools are set up, it will be launched with a formal name and the District Institute of Education and Training will monitor and provide academic support to the teachers.
“Both the SME and W&CD departments will jointly develop a comprehensive action plan for the smooth running of the play schools in an integrated manner. Preparations have begun to start the schools from the 2022-23 academic session,” the official added.
Planned schedule