The Centre on Wednesday released guidelines for co-location of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) with primary schools, which include joint planning infrastructure by teachers and Anganwadi workers, curriculum correspondence, parent engagement, and child-centric learning environments to enhance early childhood care and education (ECCE).
The guidelines were unveiled by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Annapurna Devi.
Officals have further pointed out that although almost 2.9 lakh of India's 14 lakh AWCs are already situated on school campuses, there was no standardized system to facilitate coordination.
"These guidelines have been prepared to create a proper system so that states and Union Territories follow uniform practices," a senior WCD ministry official explained.
The standards call for two kinds: physical co-location of AWCs within schools with proper infrastructure and building space, or school mapping of AWCs in near neighbor schools where co-location is not feasible.
It also offers standards like independent entry and exit gates for small children, separate kitchens for mid-day meals, indoor and outdoor play courts, and child-friendly toilets.
In order to promote convergence, the guidelines suggest Anganwadi worker-school teacher coordination meetings at least once a month, common activities such as ECCE Days, 'Praveshotsav' and PTAs, and a common calendar of events.
They suggest reconciliation of children's data to prevent duplication of services and smooth transition to Grade 1.
Pre-school curriculum will be aligned with National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022, and resources such as 'Jaadui Pitara' and 'Aadharshila' Curriculum will be encouraged to enable activity-based learning through play.
States have also been recommended to give top priority to co-location of AWCs which are building-less or work among children of weaker sections, tribal population, and migrant community.
Another veteran bureaucrat underscored the importance of ensuring that kids enter class 1 at the right age.
"Out effort is to align the Gross Enrolment Ratio and the Net Enrolment Ratio so that the child of the appropriate age is in the appropriate class. Whether a child remains in an Anganwadi for three years or some pre-primary elsewhere, when he joins class 1, his learning level must be on par with his age," she further added.
Emphasizing strong tracking, the official pointed out that databases like Poshan Tracker and UDISE+ will need to be interoperable to trace all children, and the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR ID) would then be introduced to include children from three years of age.
"We are in talks with UIDAI such that a number provided at birth should allow the monitoring of the child throughout his or her school age," the official stated.
On pedagogy and language, the government bureaucrat added the National Education Policy (NEP) places special emphasis on education using the child's mother tongue.
"We are attempting to provide basic education to children in the same language they use at home. On top of that, we are adding all play and activity in competence that can be done by states in their own fashion," she said.
The government minister emphasized that the easy part is formulating the guidelines, but well implementing them will be the challenge.
"We already have 2.9 lakh co-located Anganwadis and much more can be integrated with the 9 lakh-plus schools which have class 1. Where co-location is not feasible, centres will be mapped against the schools in the locality to avoid dropouts in the transition. With collective effort, we can do that," she added.
The authorities said that the alteration also addresses issues recorded in field surveys where AWCs built in verandas or tarpaulin sheds lacked electricity, water, and playing areas for most of the time.
The new system will maximize resources, decline dropouts, and enhance learning outcomes, they added.
