Centre Launches Guidelines to Link Anganwadi Centres with Schools; Pushes AI and Broadband in Education

In a major step towards enhancing the education and holistic development of the early childhood children in the country, the government of India has released new guidelines to co-locate Anganwadi Centres with primary schools in the country. It was announced on September 3, 2025, by Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Annpurna Devi, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Formal Schooling with Early Childhood Care

The guidelines are meant to integrate the critical services of Anganwadis- psycho-social care and nutrition services in early childhood- and the infrastructure/learning environment of primary schools. The co-location model can guarantee a smoother transition of children between Anganwadi and Grade 1 and possibly reduce the dropout rates and enhance the learning outcomes at the foundational level.

Anganwadi Centres are being established at a rate of more than 14.02 lakh across the country, and 2.9 lakh of those are already co-located in 9.16 lakh government and government-aided schools. The new guidelines offer operational clarity, infrastructure standards and roles and responsibilities in making this integration quicker.

This initiative, as per Minister Annpurna Devi, forms the basis of every child learning experience, helps in an all-round development, and fits into the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a healthy and empowered young people as part of the Viksit Bharat mission.

Digital Push: AI and Broadband to Change Education

Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized the importance of using technology in improving education. The government intends to link close to 2 lakh schools in India with broadband connectivity over the next three years. This digital inclusion will expand the amount of online learning materials, narrow the urban-rural gap in education access, and equip Anganwadi workers, the first teachers of the child, with AI devices, particularly teaching Indian languages.

He reported positive results in early literacy and numeracy in rural schools, using current ASER and PARAKH results, as an indicator of the commitment of Anganwadi workers to enhancing the quality of early education. 

Empowerment and Training of Anganwadi Workers

Since the significance of Anganwadi workers (or didis) is immense, the government has proposed a special learning module to all individuals who have passed up to Class 12 but want to go on with their education. This initiative will empower Anganwadi workers to enhance the quality of care provided in early childhood and develop professionally.

Convergence of Nutrition, Health, and Education

These guidelines have been developed in close consultation with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Education, which demonstrates a whole-of-government approach to combine education, health, and nutrition in an integrated manner. Initiatives such as NIPUN Bharat and Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi are linked to this effort, ensuring children receive comprehensive care and quality education from the very start of their learning journey.

The curriculum will be supported by teaching-learning aids such as Jaadui Pitara, e-Jaadui Pitara, and Adharshila, which are based on the National Curriculum Framework of foundational education and are in line with the vision of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020.

The significance of Early Childhood Education in National Development

The integration is in line with the NEP 2020 which advocates Early Childhood Care and Education as the basis of a lifetime learning. The move to streamline Anganwadi Centres and schools into a single house will see the government guarantee access to high-quality early education to all children and help achieve the country's goal of becoming a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

This initiative will be of critical importance in providing quality health, nutrition, and education to almost 15 crore children aged 0-6 in India. The co-located Anganwadis in schools will lead to a better use of resources, more involvement of the community, and a supportive, happy environment in which children learn and develop during their early years.

This progressive shift of the government of India  to co-locate Anganwadi Centres with schools, coupled with emphasis on AI tools, broadband connectivity, and worker empowerment opens a new frontier in the foundational education system in India. It will establish better infrastructure in early childhood education and help millions of young children to learn better which will bring the vision of an empowered well-nurtured generation.