After smart classes in schools, it is now the turn of smart anganwadis to hog the limelight. Yes, anganwadis are being converted into smart centres of learning in the Gir Somnath district of Gujarat. Till now, 100 such smart anganwadis have been completed.

These are not only modern in infrastructure, but are also using all the tools of imparting quality pre-primary education to the children under their care with innovative steps and the best nutrition. Different skills such as Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills are developed by using different toys and games. This is in line with New Education Policy-2020 which envisages a strong base of ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education). Also, the infra is upgraded in lines with the BaLa Concept (Building as Learning Aids), where the kids start learning on their own just by observation.  The vibrant colours and shapes help stimulate the minds of the kids and also act as a pull factor to ensure attendance.

The man behind the initiative is the District Development Officer, Mr. Ravindra Khatale, under whose guidance, the Smart Anganwadi project is shaping the children’s future in Gir Somnath. Indian Masterminds interacted with the 2016-batch IAS officer to know more about his initiative.

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ABOUT SMART ANGANWADI

The district has 700 anganwadis, from which, 100 have been converted into smart anganwadis and 250 more will be converted by March end, which, in effect, means that there will be a total of 350 smart anganwadis in just one year of his tenure. Anganwadis are part of the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) and their purpose is to pay attention to the nutrition of small children from 6 months of age to 6 years, and also to pay attention to the pre-schooling of children from 3 years to 6 years of age.

Mr. Khatale said, “Till now, the maximum focus of the government was on nutrition. But, when I started visiting the anganwadis, I felt that we were only serving one purpose of the ICDS, that is, the nutrition part. So we also started focusing on pre-schooling. But, for this it was necessary that the children should come to the anganwadi, and this was possible only if the infrastructure is attractive.”

Other important elements for pre-school education of children are Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, Retention Memory and Socialization. “We have made smart anganwadis by working on all these aspects. Hundred have been built already, 250 more will be built by March. And, the rest will also be made smart in the coming times, for which, we are talking to many companies for funds,” Mr.  Khatale added.

PRE-SCHOOLING ELEMENTS

Pre-school education does not only mean that the children should know letters. It should also focus on the all-round development of the child and build their confidence. “To develop confidence, we have worked on important elements for pre-school education, and you will see that in smart anganwadis,” Mr. Khatale said.

These elements are:

1. Fine Motor Skills – Under this, attention is paid to making children’s fingers flexible and improving their hand-eye coordination. If this comes from childhood, then children will do better when they grow up. For this, there are different toys in the smart anganwadis.

2. Gross Motor Skills – Under this, attention is paid to the large muscles of the children. Whether they are able to walk in a line or not, do they have balance while playing sports or not, etc. For this, every anganwadi has a trampoline and games like snakes and ladders have been made on the floor itself. Outdoor activities are also conducted. An advantage of outdoor activities is that children are always full of energy and when they do such activities, their energy gets consumed and then they listen to the teachers carefully. In this way, their retention memory gets developed.

ATTRACTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Knowing too well that children will come regularly to the anganwadi only if they like being there, the officer focused on making the infrastructure better than the private ones.

“For this, we renovated the anganwadis in a very cost-effective manner. We got leakage proofing done with china mosaic, so that there is no moisture and painting do not get ruined. Special attention was paid to the building and it was made better and attractive through wall paintings. We are also using the BALA (Building as Learning Aid) concept, where the kids start learning on their own just by observation,” Mr. Khatale said, adding that the more one stimulates the mind of children, the better it will be for them. Hence, the more colourful and joyful the environment is, the better it is for the child to adapt and learn. For this especially,the centres have been filled with painting of cartoons which are liked by all children.

Signs, too,are used for their learning, as when they see these, an image is created in their mind, and they learn from it.

100 ANGANWADIS

Hundred is not a small number, but, Gir Somnath administration has achieved it and made 100 smart anganwadis. It took a lot of efforts on many fronts, including financial, but, they did it with the sole aim to convert all AWs of Gir Somnath into joyous centres of learning, imparting quality pre-primary education to children.