COIMBATORE: Five months after enrolment, lakhs of children in anganwadi centres and kindergarten classes in government schools across the state have not yet got their activity workbooks and uniforms.
Activity workbooks, designed by the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) of Tamil Nadu, are provided to children from two to five years of age, based on their age category. Titled “Aadi Paadi Vilaiyadu Pappa,” the curriculum aims to create a stimulating environment for the children’s holistic development and learning, through activity books, assessment cards, and preschool education kits, etc. These activities are designed to be taught to children over 11 months.
For instance, in November every year, children aged four to five should be able to name vegetables, sketch, and fill in suitable letters in words provided in the workbooks. Similarly, for each month, there are predetermined exercises which the children must be taught. But due to the delay in distributing workbooks, children are missing out on such activities, sources said.
P Kalaiselvi of Podanur told TNIE that her four-year-old child goes to an anganwadi in the locality. She said, “Though the staff members take good care of the children by ensuring that they eat and drink water on time and are safe, the staff do not teach them workbook activities as per the syllabus.”
She added that if workers taught the activities, the children would learn something new and it would stimulate their thinking.
‘No appointment of anganwadi workers since 2018’
“As there are no activities related to the workbook, children fail to get proper fundamental education in Tamil letters, numbers, etc. Workbooks should be provided quickly,” said P Kalaiselvi of Podanur.
A parent, K Sengodi, whose daughter is studying in LKG at a corporation middle school in Coimbatore told TNIE that uniforms are yet to be provided to the children.
An anganwadi worker that TNIE spoke to said that vacancy is a major factor and workers are unable to concentrate on imparting education activities.
“Except in a few places, workers have been forced to manage two or three centres simultaneously. Not only this, we have to cook, register the details of children’s attendance, and items received, upload children’s height and weight, go for census work, etc. There is not enough time for us to impart education,” she said.
Tamil Nadu Anganwadi Oozhiyar and Udhaviyalar Sangam general secretary T Daisy told TNIE that there has been no appointment of new workers since 2018. She said that there are around 18,000 vacancies in 54,000 centres. The state has a total of 1.04 lakh centres, she said.
Educationist Su Moorthy told TNIE that the RTE Act mandates that central and state governments provide early childhood care and education. “Pre-primary education prepares the children for future education. Only poor children face difficulties and lose equal learning opportunities in getting a proper pre-primary education in anganwadi centres due to various reasons. When children come to primary classes with lack of pre-primary education, we can see differences such as learning loss in them,” he said.
When asked about the delay in giving uniforms and books, an officer in Coimbatore said they don’t know the reason. When contacted, Minister of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment P Geetha Jeevan told TNIE that she would look into the matter.