70 anganwadis in DK to start KG this year | Mangaluru News

Mangaluru: As many as 70 anganwadi centres in Dakshina Kannada have been permitted by the state govt to start LKG/UKG at their premises from this academic year. Of these, a total of 20 have been sanctioned to Mangaluru Rural, and 13 each in Bantwal and Sullia taluks.The department of women and child welfare commenced preliminary arrangements with the supply of smart TVs and books specifically designed for kindergarten. The official launch of the initiative will be held on Oct 2, the day when the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The ICDS programme started in 1975.Usman A, deputy director of the women and child development department, said that Dakshina Kannada currently has a total of 2,131 anganwadis. Out of them, 70 anganwadis have been selected, which have their own buildings and are in good condition. The selected anganwadis have been provided with smart TVs and books. The syllabus is also in digital format, and will be displayed through the smart TVs. “Some sanctioned anganwadis have already started operating. However, the official launch is scheduled for Oct 2,” he explained.A total of seven books have been supplied—three for pre-primary-1 or LKG, three for pre-primary-2 or UKG, and one for the teacher. Children aged 4-5 years will be enrolled in pre-primary-1, and those aged 5-6 in pre-primary-2.There will not be any special grant from the govt to run this initiative. Usman said that the existing anganwadi teachers will be trained for the kindergarten. “They are yet to be trained, and we have not received any communication on the same,” Usman said.Usman said that there was no opposition from nearby SDMCs of govt schools, which also have a similar setup to start the kindergarten in anganwadis. “The demand from anganwadis is growing to allow them to start kindergarten. We have received several requests,” he said.