Anganwadis to be merged with primary schools

 Telangana | Written by : Suryaa Desk Updated: Wed, Apr 12, 2017, 11:16 AM

Enrolment in government schools likely to improve


A plan is on the anvil to soon merge around 40% of the total 2,060 Anganwadi centres with the government primary schools in the district.


The key intervention is aimed at improving the functioning of Anganwadi centres, the grassroots level institutionalised mechanism to provide play-way and activity-based learning as well as supplement nutrition and immunisation services to children under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.


It is likely to help the Anganwadi centres located on private premises, most of which are devoid of basic amenities, overcome the space constraints and offer better services to children, official sources said.


The predominantly tribal populated district, carved out of the Khammam district in October last year, presently has 626 mini-anganwadis under 11 ICDS projects spread over 23 mandals.


The Government agencies concerned have drawn up a plan to shift around 40% of the Anganwadis in the first phase by this month-end, sources added. The merger plan will usher in multifaceted benefits like improvement in learning outcomes, provision of supplementary nutrition in spacious and hygienic conditions, paving the way for holistic development of children, opined an official of the Women and Child Development Agency.


Above all, the move is expected to help increase enrolment in the government primary schools in the years to come, he maintained.


When contacted, District Welfare Officer Jhansi Lakshmi Bai said that an exercise was underway to finalise the list of Anganwadis to be merged with the government primary schools in the district. The exact number of Anganwadis to be merged will be determined based on the availability of suitable space in the nearby government schools in a few days, she said.