Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Jun 19: The state government as well as the education department have been making all out efforts to steady and strengthen the educational sector that has been rocked by the first and second coronavirus waves and hence is in limbo. Because of this determination, in the face of the fear of the third wave hitting the nation, the department has taken the initiative to begin the 2021-22 academic year, duly showing boldness and adventurous courage. With this, it wants to maintain the academic continuity of the children in the age group in which the children have to undergo mandatory education.

But the children in the age group of three to six, who should have been attending Anganwadis, LKG and UKG classes are facing a vacuum of initial learning. In the interests of the children of this age group,  the department of women and child welfare, in order to ensure that the children do not face death from nutrition,  has been taking steps  to supply the same through Anganwadi centres. But the children of the pre-primary schools are spending days without any education at the nascent stage. Even the parents are worried about the future of their children on account of the void created by the corona pandemic.

‘Save the Children’ shows the way

As Anganwadi centres and pre-primary schools remain closed because of the pandemic, in association with the department of women and child development, ‘Save the Children’ organization has been functioning in Bengaluru rural district. It has been experimentally running a programme, 'Haadu Maatadu’ programme through Bengaluru Akashvani and through WhatsApp groups. This programme Has given rise to a newfound enthusiasm among the children.

The organization has, in addition to Bengaluru city and rural districts, also reached out to about 5,000 children all over the state. Through the above programme, it has formed WhatsApp groups which is proving to be useful for over a thousand children. Parents of children in the three to six age groups have been included in the groups. The organization conducts video and audio activities on five days every week in the morning hours.

In the above WhatsApp groups created through the above said programmes, over a thousand parents have become members of the programme. 'Save the children' organization has driven away the worry of the parents about their children not getting any education in their initial years. By making parents realise that homes are the first schools for the children, the organization introduces activities which the parents can conduct at home, and thereby has given rise to smiles and enthusiasm among the children.

The activity uses vegetables, fruits etc available at home, kitchen appliances, books, trees, plants etc to introduce numbers, learning to write by using rice and wheat flour, rhymes with the use of dolls, improving linguistic skills of the children through songs and stories etc.  It also imparts knowledge about improving physical and mental faculties which can be achieved through different activities.

The organization has drawn up a time table. On Monday, activities which support the development of children are performed. On Tuesday, stories are narrated. On Wednesday, physical activities are undertaken. On Thursday, initial mathematics activity, and on Friday, children's learning activity are conducted. On Saturday, parents are contacted.

The programme can reach more people and become hugely successful if the State Bal Bhavan Society, Karnataka Balavikasa Academy, expand the programme of Save the Children society and enable it to reach out to more people all over the state.

V Lissy, programme coordinator (education) of Save the Children society says that the stories, videos of rhymes etc are based on Gul Mohar curriculum. The institution is desirous of expanding scope to the entire state. Rajeshwari Mahesh Nayak Kumta, mother of a child, Sharvari, says that her daughter showed a lot of progress after getting involved with Haadu Maatadu activity. Jyoti Davanagere, mother of Veeresh, said that her son had attended playschool for six months when the school was closed due to lockdown. She says that after Save the Children began its activities, the boy has again turned towards educating which has made his parents happy.