HRDD gets set to resume Pre-Primary education in govt schools

GANGTOK, 18 Jan: The ten-day orientation programme for Pre-Primary Teachers of Sikkim organised and conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training [SCERT] under the Human Resource Development Department [HRDD] began on 17 January at Modern Secondary School, Tathangchen, Gangtok, informed CS Rao [Secretary, HRDD], while speaking to NOW! today.
The training is being provided to 262 Pre-Primary Teachers [Class XII passed] in the first batch and will be held from 17 to 27 January, while the second batch of 250 plus teachers [Class X passed] will undergo training from 28 January to 06 February, he added.
Earlier, these teachers were working as School Mothers and after the Pre-Primary section was shut in 2010, they were shifted to Gram Panchayats where they were working as Panchayat Education Assistants and now since the government has taken the decision to start Pre-Primary at schools from this year onwards, they are being given training for Pre-Primary Teachers, he said and added that this was being done because the government wants to improve the quality of education at the pre-primary level and also as many parents wanted pre-primary education for their children.
Earlier, there were no books at the pre-primary level, but now a new single book [work book] has been prepared by SCERT for the pre-primary children, along with a teacher’s reference book and so these teachers are being trained on using the book and also how to handle small children, the Secretary stated.
The opening of these pre-primary classes at the 778 schools all over the State will not in any way hamper the running of the ICDS centres, the ICDS centres will remain operational, he said and added that parents were sending their kids to these ICDS centres to get them used to going to school, but no education was being provided at these centres, so the decision to re-start the pre-primary at schools was taken.
“According to records of 2010 and before, around 12,000 to 14,000 children had been enrolled in the various pre-primary classes in the state, so we are expecting the same amount of children for admissions this year and therefore we are printing around the same number of books for these children”, he stated. Apart from the books, the children will also be supplied with mid-day meals.
The file for starting of these pre-primary classes is already under process, there are some formalities that need to be completed, but pre-primary classes at schools will begin from this year and that is why training to these pre-primary teachers is being conducted, the Secretary informed.
The Resource Persons for the training are I Joshi [Joint Director], SK Gajmer, RK Pradhan [Deputy Director], Malati Rai, Dr Shanti Ram Adhikari [Assistant Director], SB Singh [Coordinator], Larissa Lepcha, Paritosh Pathak and Jigmee Sangay Dorjee.