Early Childhood Education: Curriculum & Capacity Building

1. Early Childhood Education:Curriculum & Capacity Building MSCERT, ICDS & UNICEF Maharashtra

2. ECE Curriculum: Background • No prescribed curriculum available for children aged 3-6 years • Only pre-service syllabi developed by various private organizations without uniformity in content / duration and pedagogical base • According to the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002, Article 45 was amended as below; “State shall endeavour to provide Early Childhood Care and Education for all children until they complete the age of six years” which made ECE not only a vital need for children but a right that the State must honour • GR of the School Education and Sports Dept dated 18 Aug 2006, gave MSCERT the responsibility to develop the curriculum for this age group and to organise trainings

3. Process at MSCERT Level • The ECE Cell at MSCERT was already developing materials and organizing activities for various functionaries to achieve the objective of ECE since 1982 (focus on Balwadis) • MSCERT initiated the process with the following aim: • To develop ECE curriculum • To develop training material to transact curriculum including Teachers’ Handbooks and Training modules • Organize training for Anganwaditais With the ultimate objective of preparing children for primary education (School Readiness)

4. Process at MSCERT Level • MSCERT developed ‘Balshikshankram’ the curriculum for the age group of 3 to 5 yrs based on the developmental stages of a child and pedagogy • Curriculum developed with the help of experienced experts and functionaries balwaditais, Mobile Cretches, DnyanPrabodhini, Maharashtra BalshikshanParishad, MaharshiStreeShikshanSanstha, SNDT, Shivaji University, officers from ICDS, DIETs, etc. • This ECE curriculum approved by Government vide letter dated January 02, 2008

5. Balshikshankram: Principles • The principles underlying the ECE Curriculum are as follows : • learning in a child friendly environment • learning with ease • learning through nature • need based learning • getting acquainted with environment using five senses • learning through experiences • learning through activities • learning through experimentation • Focus on nurturing of individual potentials/ interests • learning in informal mode

6. ECE Training Kit • ICDS, SCERT and UNICEF joined hands to plan the strengthening and implementation of ECE in the state. • Focused on 2 aspects: What to teach (content)and how to teach (pedagogy) • Training kit conceptualized - which included Training manuals and Handbooks for Teachers with suggestive activities for transaction of the curriculum

7. Teachers’ Handbooks Five Teachers’ Hand Books with suggestive activities as per age developed: • Language Development (Bhashnubhav) • Creativity & development of aesthetic sense (Kalanubhav, Sarjansheelata, SaundaryadrishtichaVikas) • Reading, Writing and Maths Readiness (Vachan ,lekhan, ganansiddhata) • Physical and motor development (Shareerikanikarakvikas) • Introduction to environment and science experiences (ParisarparichayaniVidnyananubhav)

8. Teacher Handbooks

9. Curriculum and modules

10. Capacity Building Strategy • In consultation with expert practitioners and NGOs, it was decided to train all Supervisors as Master Trainers • Rationale for selecting Supervisors: • Strengthening & building the capacity of the ICDS staff, instead of creating a cadre of RPs from outside the system • ECE given the least priority among the ICDS services • Mentoring and monitoring - part of their job profile

11. Training Plan • Training given to Supervisors in capsules of • 6 days each • 4 times in year (with a interval of three months in between) = 24 days • July 2012, Oct. 2012, Jan 2013 & April 2013 • AWWs trained by the Supervisors at their sector level in a capsules of • 2 days / month for 8 months = 16 days • Implementation to start immediately as per the timetable • 3rd month review and feedback with Supervisors and Experts TRAINING AND SUPPORT PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

12. Phase wise Content EASY • Phase 1: • Importance of Child Development • Physical development – gross motor • Free play • Songs • Stories • Phase 2: • Physical development – fine motor • Creativity • Classroom environment (Field visit) • Phase 3: • Reading, writing and Maths readiness • School readiness • Phase 4: • Introduction to Science & Environment • Parents involvement • Mentoring and monitoring • Every phase had demonstration sessions, materials development with locally available materials, schedule for AWWs’ training and time table for AWCs COMPLEX

13. Pilot Project • With UNICEF support, ICDS is implementing the curriculum & pedagogy in 3300 AWCs in 3 districts: • Jalna – Initially started with 3 blocks, on request of district officials whole district covered later • Supervisors trained: 63 • AWWs trained : 1954 • Wardha – Initially 3 blocks, on request by district, all supervisors trained • Supervisors trained: 49 • AWWs trained : 799 • Yavatmal – 3 blocks • Supervisors trained : 16 • AWWs trained : 515 • Organised sharing forum in a Melawa form at the block level where 400-600 people participated – parents, Block level official, AWWs, Helpers and children ( A concept similar to ECCE Day)

14. Glimpses of Supervisors Training

15. Glimpses of AWW’s Training

16. Feedback from the field • Supervisors: • The state level trainers empowered us and tried to bring perfection by repeating /explaining the concepts that initially we did not follow • The training gave us and anganwaditais a vision beyond stories, songs and ‘khicahdi’ and emphasized that ECE was a systematic program • Once upon a time Anganwadi worker used to wait for children ; but now children call anganwadi tai at 10 o’ clock and request her to come to the centre .That is the change we are witnessing. • Anganwadi Workers: • Children like these activities immensely .These helped in improving retention of children. • Though we knew many stories and songs, we really did not know how to present them to children

17. Feedback from the field • Parents RupaliLaukare, 24-year-old wife of a relatively wealthy farmer in Gondegaon in Darwha block of Yavatmal district found AWC better than Convent school in her area. After barely three months of sending her 5 year old daughter to convent school, she began sending her to the village Anganwadi centre. Reasons: • Mother tongue teaching • Overall development – education, health, nutrition • Child’s participation encouraged in ECE activities • Officials • Mr.Jarag, Director MSCERT commented after his field visit to Yavatmal: • Happy to see active children who were responsive to his questions. However, children needs to be given more TLM in hand • Dr.S.Kale, Jt Director, MSCERT commented after her field visit to Wardha: • Whatever efforts we took to train the Supervisors and AWWs, we were happy and satisfied to see the results of the same in the AWCs

18. AWTCs/MLTCs Orientation • On sharing the Pilot experience with Principal Secy, WCD, UNICEF was requested to orient the AWTCs & MLTCs on the ECE curriculum and pedagogy • 25 Instructors from the Anganwadi Training Institutes were trained in Wardha from Aug 26-31, 2013. • Some of the Feedback received from Instructors: • Most of the instructors are self taught; training essential • They have the basic / theoretical knowledge of the subject but lack knowledge in classroom management • Training in their own language, i.e., in Marathi helps in understanding the concepts much better. • Hands on training was much appreciated • Regular and detailed training to all instructors will help in updating their knowledge and new techniques.

19. Glimpses of AWTCs’ Instructors Training

20. Issues and Gaps • Curriculum: • Developed for 3 -5 years only. 5-6 years were left out in the MSCERT Curriculum • Also silent on inclusion • Capacity building: strengthening of the system to value, understand and deliver ECE. • Investment in regular “hands on” training of AWWs and Supervisors – Need to develop a mechanism for phase wise training through AWTCs • Regular monitoring mechanisms for ECE essential • State Child Policy: drafted with section on ECE, awaiting approval

21. Thank you THANK YOU