Revamped play schools make learning fun in Haryana

A youth-led governance programme transforms Haryana’s anganwadis into fun learning centres for children, while empowering the staff to be proactive and confident.

As a young professional working with the Haryana government and exploring the challenges and solutions in implementing its Playway School Programme, my first visit to such a play school was to the Kurar?anganwadi?centre in Ganaur block in July 2023 – the first of many such visits.

The Playway School Programme aims to foster collaboration through district-level Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) committees and leads to improvements in infrastructure, while making learning fun for young children.

Youth-led governance programme

I got associated with the Playway School Programme as a Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate (CMGGA) in Sonipat district. The?CMGGA?programme – a collaboration between the Haryana government and?Ashoka University?to improve governance – has offered me the chance to observe social issues from an ‘insider-outsider’ perspective, while having the opportunity to interact with district officials, bureaucrats and the chief minister of Haryana.?

The initiative stands as the first-of-its-kind youth-led good governance programme in India. It acts as a bridge between the state government’s flagship programmes and their on-ground implementation.

Playway schools – an aspirational programme

In May 2023, we began visiting the Playway schools, part of an aspirational state programme aligned with the (ECCE) goals outlined in the?National Education Policy 2020.?

These schools – essentially upgraded?anganwadi?centres – offer an enriched array of play-based learning material and follow a structured preschool curriculum guided by a?varshik sandarshika?(annual curriculum calendar), with more qualified and trained?anganwadi?workers serving as educators.

Read the full story at villagesquare.in