Andhra govt to merge anganwadis with schools

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to do away with anganwadi centres in rural areas and merge them with pre-primary and primary schools to form “Foundation Schools”, with effect from the current academic year, people aware of the development said

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to do away with anganwadi centres in rural areas and merge them with pre-primary and primary schools to form “Foundation Schools”, with effect from the current academic year, people aware of the development said.

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Anganwadi centres, set up under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme of the central government way back in 1975, have been functioning as rural childcare centres, providing health care facilities and nutritious food to children up to six years of age, besides taking up non-formal pre-school teaching.

According to a senior official from the state women development and child welfare department, a total of 55,607 anganwadi centres with the total strength of 870,000 children are currently functional in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, 11,448 anganwadis are located within the premises of local schools. The state government has been providing nutritious food to children from the age of seven months to six years in these anganwadis.

“Now, all these anganwadi centres will be converted into Foundation Schools, which comprise pre-primary classes, Class 1 and Class 2. They will teach Telugu and English, besides moral science, teamwork and self-awareness,” the official said on Tuesday.

The proposal was discussed at a convergence meeting of the school education and women development and child welfare departments convened by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in May. At the meeting, it was decided to bring anganwadi workers into the teaching stream at the foundation schools.

Officials also proposed to the chief minister that as per the Centre guidelines, anganwadi teachers would have to study diploma courses in teaching methods where they are taught easy ways to teach children. “They would be absorbed into the education department as special grade teachers through promotions,” the official said.

As regards health-related activities of anganwadi centres, which are being taken care of by anganwadi workers, it was proposed that all these activities be brought under YSR Village Clinics and urban clinics being set up by the state.

The health, nutrition awareness, health screening, vaccination for immunisations and referral services, presently being looked after by anganwadi centres, will be shifted to YSR Village Clinics, the official added.

It was also decided that classes 3, 4 and 5 of primary schools will be transferred to nearby upper primary schools and high schools. The upper primary schools will be converted into high schools.

At the meeting, the chief minister suggested that all foundation schools should be set up within one kilometre‌ radius of villages and high schools should be within three km radius so as to reduce the transportation cost of students, the official said.

Meanwhile, the state government’s proposal to merge anganwadis with foundation schools triggered protests from anganwadi workers. “The proposed changes have created a lot of insecurity among us. The government has not made it clear on what basis these changes are being made without any prior notice,” K Subbaravamma, general secretary, Andhra Pradesh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, told HT.

She said the anganwadi workers were extending six different types of services including neo-natal care and prevention of malnutrition, but not just pre-school education. “The merger of anganwadi centres with pre-schools is against the spirit of the ICDS project,” Subbaravamma said.

The official quoted above, however, said the CM had given a clear instruction to the officials that not a single employee of anganwadi centres should be laid off. “There is no closure of any anganwadi centres, but they are only being merged with the foundation schools as part of the reforms in the education system,” the official said.