1

2

Team, Smt.B.S.Latha Devi pre -school program Head Smt.,K.Vaijayanti, Head of R&E Sri. J.V. Shankar narayan, Head of Operation Smt. K.C.Latha , pre-school Resource team. Translation: Sri Kanteshwara Swamy.

3

HANDBOOK FOR BALVIKAS SAMITHI MEMBERS

2009

4

Introduction - Akshara Foundation Akshara Foundation is an autonomous service organization, started in 2000, with the goal that Every child in school and learning This organization is instrumental in organizing many programmes in popularizing quality education at pre-primary and primary levels. This organization, active in Bangalore and many districts of northern Karnataka, has impacted over 7 to 8 lakh students in Karnataka through its various programmes. Some of the important programmes are pre-primary programme, library programme, akshara maths programme, English learning programme, Oduve nanu programme and Karnataka learning participation programme. Karnataka learning participation programme

Provides a platform for participation of the government and similar thinking groups

This platform collects information and data related to pre-primary and primary schools

This also provides opportunity for accessing and sharing information to many organizations and similar thinking groups.

Pre-school education programme of Akshara Working in this field since last 10 years, with the cooperation of Women and Children Welfare

Department for the last 6 years, this organization is involved in strengthening pre-primary education

It has supplied, distributed and trained learning aids to 1778 anganawadi centres and has also evaluated them

All anganawadi centres have been reviewed

It has trained members of balavikasa samithi (child development committee)

Training manual for members of balavikasa samithi

Forward Knowledge is Power and Education for Living these two statements are complimentary to contented living. Quality education is necessary for quality living. Quality education is necessary for development of individual personality and healthy society. It is very necessary to create an atmosphere complementing this. In creating such an atmosphere, parents, guardians, educational institutions, environment and community as a whole play a very important role. Nowadays, importance of education is increasing. Parents and guardians are thinking of providing them good education, thereby, converting them an asset. In these days of fierce global competition, the government and other institutions are working hard to provide quality education. Pre-primary education is the first goal among six primary goals of the programme - Education for All, organized under UNESCO. It is necessary to provide pre-primary education to all children in the age group of 0-6 years.

5

Women and Child Welfare Development Department, having long term goal that Childrens future is Indias Future, is stressing to formulate policy for Child and Women Development and to implement programmes to related them. This effort will be a great investment for the social and economic development of the country. Comprehensive Child Development Plan is a flagship programme of the Central Government. In this plan, the government is providing services such as nutritious food supplements, vaccination, health check-up information service, healthy and nutritious food for mothers, pre-school education for children in the age group of 3 to 6 years. Children coming to anganawadis will only get admitted to primary school and continue their education. Whatever children learn and practice in their first six years will play a very important role in providing a strong foundation for further education. So it is necessary to stress the need for pre-school education. In anganawadi centres pre-school education is very important. Balavikasa samithi should work the way School Development and Management Committees (SDMC) work in primary school system. So it is very important to strengthen Child Development Committees. Before going further, let us learn how anganawadis work. Service supports provided by the Government to anganawadis: Anganawadi center - Kishori shakti yojane, bhagyalakshmi yojane, inoculation to children, udyogini yojane, wages to widows, streeshakti sangha, nutritious food, pre-school education, medical help, service and assistance, support for physical and mental development to children How should a model anganawadi be? A good building, white-washing for the building, windows and doors, drinking water facility, toilet facility, play ground, cleanliness, systematic pre-school education Proper arrangement for seating of children, infrastructure for preparation of food, a separate warehousing facility for storage of food grains and other materials, electricity facility, availability of learning facilities / aids, system of wall writing facility relating to learning

Objectives of pre-school education: Acclimatize children to new environment

Prepare children for further education

Teach new skills

Creative thinking

Create inquisitiveness in children Strategy for strengthening pre-school education:

Provide learning aids complementary to pre-school education

Provide training to teachers (women)

Evaluate children

6

Role and Importance of community in developing a model anganawadi It is required to make community and guardians aware of importance of pre-school education and also their active participation is necessary. To convert an anaganawadi to model anganawadi, the role of community is very important and also it is necessary to have balavikasa samithis. Considering this aspect, balavikasa samithis have been created.

Path treaded by balavikasa samithi It is necessary to strengthen community participation in Comprehensive Child Development Plan. As per government order no. 308 ICD 05, Bangalore, dated 16.10.06, of Women and Child Welfare Department, balavikasa samithis were established and further, as per government order no. 308 ICD 07, Bangalore, dated 03.11.07, of Women and Child Welfare Department, balavikasa samithis were reestablished and strengthened by providing financial powers. In 1980, the concept of consultancy committee came into existence. Its main objective is to complement the work of anaganawadi centers and women workers in respective areas and to make departmental services reach proper beneficiaries. With time, after many changes in original committee, consultancy committee is working under a new name balavikasa samithi. The role of consultancy committee is very important in providing quality pre-school education for every child in anganawadi centers.

Profile of balavikasa samithi

1. What is balavikasa samithi?

This is a local committee consisting of 13 members.

7

2. Why should balavikasa samithi be created?

This balavikasa samithi is created to monitor efficiency of anganawadi centres, management, impact and quality of complementary food programme, inspection of quality and quantity in respect of supply of food materials, under Comprehensive child development plan, and also to help and cooperate with anganawadi workers (women) in carrying out activities of anganawadi centres.

(Note: This training manual is prepared based on procedures for creating balavikasa samithis of Women and Child Welfare Department)

3. Who will create balavikasa samithi and where?

Balavikasa samithi is created with the help of supervisors of each anganawadi centre.

8

4. Who are all there in balavikasa samithi and how they are selected?

9

5. What are the prior preparations in selection process of members for balavikasa samithi?

To decide whose selection to samithi will be most appropriate

To convince people / others about the expectations with which selection of samithi members is done

To prepare them to participate in training programmes, by providing prior information

To inform them about the role of samithi members

6. Report of president, vice-president and other members

A member who selects from grama panchayiti samithi (respective ward member)

A member who is selected from corporation, municipality, municipal council and town pachayiti (respective ward member)

Selected samithi members should elect one of the members as President of samithi. Anganawadi worker will become member-secretary of the samithi. The samithi will be valid for a period of 3 years only and members are not eligible for any kind of remuneration. The samithi should open a bank account and deposit all amounts received by way of public contribution and government grants to balavikasa samithi. These deposits will be in the joint name of the president and anganawadi worker (member-secretary). Samithi members have to serve as complementary towards development of anganawadi and also to pre-school education. In the event of member not attending committee meetings or not executing his/her duties or not providing solution to any of the problems of the centre, the worker of the centre, with the approval of the samithi, has the right to remove the particular member from the samithi. 7. How to conduct the meeting of balavikasa samithi?

The samithi should conduct atleast 4 meetings in an year. Routine meeting: The samithi should meet once in 3 months and discuss the current affairs of the centre and also should try to solve any problems faced by the centre, worker and co-workers.

10

Emergency meeting: This meeting can be conducted by giving one-day advance notice to all the members of the samithi.

8. Role of balavikasa samithi in anganawadis

To provide suitable building for the working of anganawadi

To provide suitable place (land) for building of anganawadi

To supervise during the construction so that a quality building is built and to ensure a ramp is compulsorily provided for the use of physically challenged children

To do minor repair works of the building and white washing time-to-time, ensure provision of toilets in the building and to provide any other facility, keeping in mind some special requirements of physically challenged children. Also to provide water for sanitary purposes and supervise that they are properly utilized.

Balavikasa samithi should make a work-plan of anganawadi centre atleast twice a year and should cooperate in implementing the same

To conduct meeting of mothers of children registered in the centre, to arrange exhibition of lessons and games learnt by children (as per work-plan) and to get opinions / feedback from guardians regarding the same

To supervise that the anaganawadi workers review the work undertaken by the centre every year

To supervise that the anganawadi works satisfactorily between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm.

To supervise that the anganawadi worker visits homes during 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm and organsises meeting of stree-shakti groups

Two members should be personally present at the time of supply of food materials to the centre to ensure quality and quantity of the same

To supervise that complementary nutritious food distribution programme works satisfactorily in anganawadi centre, try to get locally available food, such as vegetables, leafy vegetables, fruits etc, free of cost

To see that health service programmes, such as inoculation, medical checkup, health and nutrition etc, are organized systematically

To see that national festivals and childrens festivals are organized with pomp and gaiety

To be a communication channel between anaganawadi worker, supervisory staff of child development plan and gram panchayiti

To organize meeting of balavikasa samithi every month without fail, to discuss about shortfalls and take necessary action

To plan various other activities necessary for development of anganawadi centres

9. What all members can do to help children learn?

To pay more attention to pre-school education

To bring all children outside the ambit of anganawadi to the mainstream

To take extra care on utility and use of learning aids

To provide good drinking water facility

To create awareness about health and hygiene among children

10. Role of members in development of anganawadis

11

To make parents / guardians understand that the children, in age group of 3-6 years and covered under the anganawadi centre, be present in the centre everyday without fail

To manage and safeguard properties of the anganawadi centre

To make available facilities provided by the government in time

To participate in all the programme of the centre without fail

To present in all the meetings of samithi without fail

To strengthen the friends group of anganawadi

To honour the workers on their efficiency

To make local organizations and institutions cooperate to strengthen workers

11. Isnt it nice if the members of samithi are like this (have these qualities)?

Should know the greatness and need of education

Should have good foresight

Should have service attitude

Should possess high value

Should possess social sensitivity

Should be a good planner

Should have the honesty to manage the business with transparency

Supporting information

Child and its rights

Childrens rights mean to have necessary things required for all round development of child things just necessary, things absolutely necessary, things which should have been available, things they should get in any case, things elders should provide them, things which children should experience and enjoy.

Guardians responsibility

It is the responsibility of the parents to provide all the necessary care for their growth. This also applies for legal guardians

If all the rights, as mentioned in the act (rules), are to be made available to children, the government should provide, through its own arrangements or service organizations, these facilities to their parents or guardians, if necessary.

Working (employed) guardians have right to take care of their children, So wherever there are working guardians, the government should make arrangements for child care centres or similar service facilities

Right to have civil and also autonomy

Right to free elementary education

Right to have education which can lead to overall development of childs personality, talent, mental and intellectual capabilities

Education which enables child to have complete adult life in open society

12

Right to education which enables child to learn a language that can identify respect for family and culture and also which develops qualities to protect environment

Right to education which develops qualities of mutual adjustment and tolerance, peace, equality

Right to spend free time in culture, art and sport related activities

Child has right to participate in its cultural and religious activities and also to use its language

Success stories Here are some examples of some centres which have shown good improvement after meetings of balavikasa samithi:

Bangalore Centre and Bapujinagara Centre which comes under Vishveshvaraiah Circle of state plan): In these centres, there were no arrangements for proper building. It used to get filled (flooded) with water during rainy seasons. It was impossible for providing pre-school education. It used to be difficult even to sit in these centres. In order to find a solution to this problem, the samithi members, along with centres worker, supervisor and parents of children, met local leaders and assembly members who participated in balavikasa samithi and informed of the problem faced by the centre and also gave a written request was submitted to provide some solution to the problem. Having understood the problem, they arranged, for use of children, to build a new building for this centre. Assembly members and Councilors of this area inaugurated the building, distributed sweets to children and wished for good education for children. This has brought happiness to parents of children of this centre.

13

Shamanna Garden anganawadi centre, coming under Vishveshvaraiah Circle of Bangalore centre plan, was working under a banyan tree. It used to be difficult to provide pre-school education to the children of the centre. After BVS training, all the members together met local leaders. With the help of local assembly members, they made arrangements for a new building. Now this has helped children to get pre-school education in a better place.

Arfatnagar anganawadi centre was woking in madrasa for sometime. The centre was told to shift after sometime. When the worker, with the help of local area coordinator, met

14

the headmaster of government college, a room was arranged for the centre. However, this was also not successful. Later, with the cooperation of members of balavikas samithi, the workers met assembly members of local area and informed them about the problem. The assembly members, having understood the problem faced by the children, took the responsibility of arranging a new building. Now, in the newly constructed building, the children are getting pre-school education in a better way.

These are just three examples. Thus, after training of balavikas samithi and many regular meetings, workers have been successful in finding solutions for scores of such small problems.

Before concluding . The state and central governments have played major role in overall development of pre-school education. If all intended objectives have to be met with complete success, the government, society, private institutions and organizations should join hands and work together. Then only it will be possible to provide expected quality of pre-school education. If the government and society, under democratic principles, move with good foresight, they can successfully provide quality education for quality life. Normally children coming to anganawadis are children mainly from lower middle and middle and working class. When their day-to-day life itself is difficult, they may not take care about childrens education at the expected level. Despite this, they expect a better education for their children. Considering this, it is necessary for administrators of anganawadi centres to have skills and responsibility to make use of the community. Using human, economic, physical resources available around, by organizing activities related to pre-school education and implementing them, it is possible to achieve educational goals. We have to think how we respond to community rather than how community responds to us.

15

Yatha drushtihi, tatha srushtihi.

TIME TABLE: 10.00 10.15 Invocation, registration of participants 10.15 10.30 Introductions of participants (by participants) 10.30 11.00 To know what is expected of this programme; what is balavikasa samithi?

Who are its members? By its creation, what use is it for anganawadi? to know about all these (by discussion) Resource person supervisor

11.00 11.30 Inform anganawadi workers to discuss about changes that have taken place in their respective centres (mentioning their name) and share the same with balavikasa samithi members and guardians Resource person supervisor

11.30 12.00 Group activities; resource person Akshra staff 12.00 1.30 Divide them into 3 groups and inform each group to discuss

on any one of the following subjects: 12. Use of anganawadi as anganawadi is created in your village / town 13. Problems in anganawadi 14. Role of balavikasa samithi

After the discussion, each group should is allowed to exhibit the same in front of other groups; resource person supervisor 1.30 2.30 Lunch break 2.30 2.30 Requirements that must be necessary for creating a model anganawadi discussion

/ opinions; resource person supervisor 2.30 3.00 Explaining the service facilities available at anganawadi; resource person

supervisor 3.00 3.30 Group activity (demonstrating, with the help of making models using sticks, as to

how community can be used); resource person Akshara staff 3.30 4.00 Role play

15. About celebrating national festivals 16. About increasing attendance of children in anganawadis

Resource person supervisor 4.00 4.30 To develop a plan anganawadi activities

(Each balavikasa samithi member should sit in a group and develop acivity plan for next three months)

17. To decide the date for next meeting of samithi 18. To decide the subject for discussion 19. To get the feedback from participants about training and

conclude the training thereafter Resource person supervisor

** ** **

16