Anganwadi workers fear losing jobs

Pavneet Singh Chadha 

Tribune news service

Mohali, November 14

As the government kickstarted the initiative to start pre-primary classes for children who are 3-6 years of age in government schools today, anganwadi workers and helpers in the district said the move could lead to the closure of anganwadi centres.

Jaswinder Kaur, a worker at the Mataur anganwadi centre, said attendance at the centres would drop if parents would enrol their children in primary schools. “Workers and helpers are anxious that they may lose their jobs,” she said, adding that the authorities should train anganwadi workers for teaching, rather than engaging teachers in government schools.

In Mohali district, there are more than 750 anganwadis, divided in four blocks — Kharar-1, Kharar-2, Majri and Dera Bassi.

Gurdeep Kaur, a member of the Anganwadi Mulazam Union Punjab (CITU), said the decision would adversely impact the centres which were not operating in government school buildings.

“Most anganwadi centres are running in community centres, dharamshalas and even gurdwaras. In Punjab, out of 26,670 centres, 7,647 are in government schools. The rest have been given space by village panchayats. If children of 3-6 years of age start enrolling for pre-primary classes in schools, who will come to these centres?” she asked.

Bhinder Kaur, an anganwadi worker, said the government should shift all centres and allot them space within government schools. “Under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, pre-school education is the domain of anganwadi centres, so the government should train the workers for nursery education and avoid this conflict with school teachers,” she said.

Members of the union have recently staged protests against the government demanding clarity over their role.

Punjab Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary said no anganwadi worker would lose his/her job. “The anganwadi workers will continue to assist in their charter of duties — providing supplementary nutrition, vaccination for children and expectant mothers and providing pre-school education. There will be more synergy between the teachers and anganwadi workers in government schools.”

Harbhajan Kaur, a school teacher at a government school in Mohali said, “In centres that are not built on the school premises, one volunteer can visit and teach children for an hour.”