Several kids are jostling to play slides while some other are happy riding bicycles that’s evident from their shining eyes. An LED television, meanwhile, beams videos of English and Telugu rhymes as few other kids watch them in awe.
The scene is not from a modern play school run for the rich and affordable, but for those from slums and lower middle class who can’t afford the costly play schools.
This Anganwadi at Gopalpuram in Suryapet town shows how an idea and commitment from officials can bring about a sea change in the learning environment of children from poor background. For I. Lavan Kumar and R. Supraj, this is a new beginning and the happiness on their face reflects it all. “We enjoy coming to these centres more than earlier,” they say, finding the new environment quite exciting.
Thanks to the novel idea of Suryapet Collector K. Surendra Mohan, who decided to change the face of some select Anganwadi centres in the district and convert them into modern play schools on the lines of those in big cities. For this, he drew inspiration from his kid’s school in the United States where the Collector spent a few years. “I thought why not provide a similar environment to our poor kids here. So I released ₹50,000 to these centres to buy the best of equipment.”
The centre is now equipped with an LED TV, visual aids, amplifier with a hand mike, digital wall hangings of alphabets, flowers, numbers and colours, slides, bicycle, swinging horse, ladders and the like.
“The new equipment has certainly infused a lot of excitement among the children who come to this centre,” says G. Nagarani, a teacher at the centre. “I am more excited than the kids given the kind of facilities here and children now reluctantly leave in the evening when their parents come to pick them up.” She has been working here for almost 10 years and has never seen such excitement among the children.
Rapid growth
The Collector says children’s rapid growth is in the age of 3-5 years and the effort here is to ensure that they pick up language skills, cognitive skills and social skills like their peers in cities. “We have introduced these facilities in 12 centres in the district as of now, spending ₹50,000 each and this will be extended to all the 1,209 centres in a phased manner,” he says.
