Ranchi, Jharkhand | August | 29, 2019 :: Save the Children in collaboration with XISS-Ranchi had organized ‘The Right Start’ Summit, to mark their 100 years of journey of advocating for the rights of children around the world, including India.
‘The Right Start’ is the theme of Centenary efforts and external facing events and communication. For the summit, there is special emphasis on School Readiness of children aged 3-6 years in Jharkhand. There would be a short discussion involving Changemakers for The Right Start. It will bring together a diverse set of stakeholders on one platform. Industry leaders and changemakers from politics, government, art, media, business children/youth and members of CSOs come together in a dialogue and culminate with key commitments and solutions forward.
The draft new education policy also emphasizes on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) based on the scientific evidence from neuroscience that over 85% of a child’s cumulative brain development occurs prior to the age of six and that ‘school readiness/preparedness’ at Anganwadi is light on educational aspects, where ECCE can facilitate play and discovery-based learning for children of that age group. There are 34% children in the state who do not attend any kind of ECCE service and 48% of Anganwadi Centers do not have their own building.
So, this summit will be used as a platform to create a strong discourse on the pertinent issue of school readiness and its need for the children of Jharkhand. The whole programme will be organized by youth and child representatives from XISS and our project intervention areas respectively. In this journey our Youth/Child Champions will also be engaged to raise and share what difference can early learning and care would have brought into their lives.
It was attended by over 150 urban youth students, 40 Children, Partner Staff, Government officials, Media. Political Leaders, ECCE experts, along with teachers, students and professionals from XISS.
Theme: Importance of Education: Early Start- School Readiness, The Right Start highlighting-
1. Parental involvement in children’s learning in Anganwadi Centers (pre-school)
2. Inclusion of Ready to Learn –Early Literacy and Mathematics approach in the existing curriculum of ECCE
3. Prioritize preschool education as one of the key services in AWCs leading to increase investment/ budget provision.
The Acting Director of XISS, Dr. Amar Eron Tigga welcomed the respected dignitaries present: Mr. Anindit Roy Choudhary Director: Prog & Policy, Mr. Mahadev Hansda GM – JHSPO, Ms. Arti Kujur Ex-Chairperson JSCPCR, Dr. DK Saxena (IFS), Special Secretary DWCD & DG State Nutrition Mission, and Head of Program of Rural Management, Dr. Himadri Sinha & the audience. He addressed & thanked the team of Save the Children for enlightening the future of many children by providing them opportunities, medical facilities, and education.
Mr. Anindit Roy Choudhary talked about how children are not only the future but the present. And how we as individuals can become changemakers so that the children can become the torch bearers of the country.
Mr. Mahadev Hansda shared the achievements and the work profile of Save the Children, and how they collaborate with the Anganwadi centres. He also stated, that 0-6 years is the most crucial time for preparing a child for school.
Aarti Kujur talked about the involvement of parents for school preparedness of a child. Apart from the Government and several organizations, it is important to create awareness among the parents, especially mothers for emphasized nurturing of children.
Dr. Saxena talked about how the present generation needs to help form the future generations and, that for the overall development of the child an ecosystem is required which includes health, sanitation & education. He also emphasized on the right type of behavior required by the people around the child, especially parents. A couple of skits were performed by the team of Save the Children and XISS respectively, highlighting the role of parents, stakeholders and the importance of the right to education. The importance of Anganwadi was highlighted by an active Anganwadi member.
The last session started with a panel discussion with honorable dignitaries: Dr. Harishwar Dayal (Director in Chief, Center for Fiscal Studies, Govt of Jharkhand), Mr Binay Pattanayak (Senior Education Consultant, World Bank), Mr Chittapriyo Sadhu (GM WBSPO), Ms Rumi Kumari (Youth Champion), and Mr Bishnu C. Parida (COO JSLPS).
