Are Anganwadis Equipped to Handle Early Childhood Care & Education?

Edited by Malavika VN

Anganwadis play a crucial function in the development of children throughout the country. Although these centres began as an effort to combat child hunger and malnutrition; today, the role of Anganwadis surpass those functions. At present, Anganwadi workers don many hats—care-givers, teachers and more. With the introduction of the New Education Policy, implementation is key to realise its true potential. And, as frontline personnel in the education sector, the importance of Anganwadi workers is vital to consider while talking about Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE). In this light, Chirag Chinnappa speaks to Kamal Gaur, the Deputy Programme Director (Education) at Save The Children, India. In specific, she explores the following questions: 1. What is the standard of qualification for Anganwadi workers? 2. How do Anganwadis differ across the country? 3. What is the role of CSOs/NGOs in making Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) truly high quality and universal for all?