NALGONDA: For decades, Anganwadi centres have been the first stop for preschool education in rural Telangana, doubling as classrooms, nutrition hubs and childcare centres. But with the government rolling out 123 LKG and UKG classes across Nalgonda district, many parents are choosing the new pre-primary classrooms instead.
The result is already visible. Several Anganwadis have few, if any, children left in the three-to-five age group.
The new pre-primary classes, introduced under the Education Department’s initiative, run from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm and provide a mid-day meal. The government has also recruited locally qualified teachers and helpers and set up dedicated classrooms within government primary schools, offering parents an alternative to the Anganwadi system.
The shift is beginning to show up in the numbers. Across Nalgonda’s 2,093 Anganwadi centres, 17,913 children in the 0-to-3 age group were enrolled this year, though only 11,636 are actively receiving nutrition.
Among children aged three to five, 778 of the 6,431 enrolled in Anganwadis had shifted to the new pre-primary schools by July 22. Around 85 centres now have no children at all in that age group. For some Anganwadi workers, the statistics have become a daily reality. A teacher from Marriguda mandal said every child between three and five years at her centre had enrolled in the nearby pre-primary school, leaving her with no preschoolers to teach.
Some believe the transition could have been handled differently. “If the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare had coordinated with the Education Department and entrusted pre-primary education to Anganwadi staff, the government could have avoided spending on recruiting new teachers and helpers,” said N Aparna, representing local Anganwadi teachers.
Parents, however, see clear advantages in the new system. “The new schools save us the expense of private LKG and UKG education,” said R Venkataiah, a parent from Nampally.
For now, the shift is limited to 123 villages. But officials say this could be only the beginning. “If the programme is expanded, Anganwadis may eventually be left catering only to children below three years of age , pregnant women and lactating mothers,” a government official said.
