'Bachpan Ka Tyohar' promotes power of learning and playing for kids through anganwadis

A special event, 'Bachpan Ka Tyohar', was recently organised in Bhopal to stress on children playing to enjoy their childhood and to celebrate anganwadis as a nurturing space of joyful learning for children, an official said.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the Key Education Foundation (KEF) organised the event on Monday to highlight the role of anganwadis (government-run women and child care centres) in ensuring a joyful learning for children between the age of 3 to 6 years, the official said on Tuesday.

"Playing is the best way to learn and children learn without even realising it. It stays with them and especially for young children, it is the best way to enjoy their childhood and a great way for parents to get involved as well," Women and Child Development department's additional chief secretary Rashmi Arun Shami said on the occasion.

"Our anganwadi centres can make this even better so that every child can flourish," the official said.

Over the past three years, Chhatarpur, an aspirational district in MP, has been witnessing remarkable changes in early childhood education through joint efforts of the Department of Women and Child Development and KEF, another official said.

The event was attended by regional teams, anganwadi workers and district heads to showcase their journey and experiences.

"We are not just limited to teaching children, but we also learn from them every day. It is a strong bond and passionate collaboration between the children who come to my centre, their parents, the government department and the community," an anganwadi worker said.