Early Childhood Education:Curriculum & Capacity Building

MSCERT, ICDS & UNICEFMaharashtra

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

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 Anganwadi tais

With the ultimate objective of preparing children for primary education (School Readiness)

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 balwadi tais, Mobile Cretches, Dnyan Prabodhini, Maharashtra Balshikshan Parishad, Maharshi Stree Shikshan Sanstha, SNDT, Shivaji University, officers from ICDS, DIETs, etc.

This ECE curriculum approved by Government vide letter dated January 02, 2008

Process at MSCERT Level

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

Balshikshankram: Principles

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

ECE Training Kit

Five Teachers’ Hand Books with suggestive activities as per age developed:

Language Development (Bhashnubhav) Creativity & development of aesthetic sense

(Kalanubhav, Sarjansheelata, Saundaryadrishticha Vikas) Reading, Writing and Maths Readiness (Vachan ,lekhan,

ganan siddhata) Physical and motor development (Shareerik ani karak

vikas) Introduction to environment and science experiences

(Parisar parichay ani Vidnyananubhav)

Teachers’ Handbooks

Teacher Handbooks

Curriculum and modules

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

Capacity Building Strategy

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

ExpertsTRAINING AND SUPPORT PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THE

YEAR

Training Plan

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

Phase wise Content

EASY

COMPLEX

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)

Pilot Project

Glimpses of Supervisors Training

Glimpses of AWW’s Training

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 anganwadi tais 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

Feedback from the field

ParentsRupali Laukare, 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

Feedback from the field

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.

AWTCs/MLTCs Orientation

Glimpses of AWTCs’ Instructors Training

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

Issues and Gaps

THANK YOUTHANK YOU