SHILLONG, April 6: The state government and Sesame Workshop India, a non-profit organisation, have joined hands for implementation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) project in Meghalaya.
The objective of the partnership is to provide technical and implementation support to the Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MHSSP) to develop, design and implement an integrated ECD model to improve outcomes as envisaged in Meghalaya’s ECD mission.
Shedding light on the partnership, DoH&FW Secretary Ramkumar S said that the Sesame Workshop India will now provide technical and implementation support to the MHSSP to develop, design and implement an integrated ECD model to improve outcomes as envisaged in the state’s ECD mission.
“The state of Meghalaya faces a unique challenge due to its very young population and high total fertility rate, requiring a focus on young parents and children for their overall development,” he said.
Maintaining that the ECD mission is crucial to the state’s human development, Ramkumar, who is also the Project Director of MHSSP, said, “The expected beneficiaries of the assignment are caregivers, children between the ages of 0-8 years (including those with disabilities), pregnant women and lactating mothers, and Village Health Councils.”
It may be mentioned that this is not the first time that the Sesame Workshop India has worked in Meghalaya.
In 2020, they partnered with SBI Foundation to launch ‘Learn Play Grow’ in four districts, benefitting 90,000 children in 3,000 anganwadi centres.
Aligned with NEP 2020, the project will adopt the ‘Whole Child’ approach to develop play, activity and experiential learning-based ECD curriculum, keeping in mind the possible health, nutrition and learning loss due to COVID-19.
The training curriculum for the target groups of 0-3 years, 3-6 years and 6-8 years children as well as their parents/caregivers will also be aligned with the learning philosophy and outcomes of National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy 2013, National Education Policy 2020, National Education Framework 2022, and NIPUN Bharat Guidelines 2021.
Meanwhile, reacting to the partnership, Principal Secretary of Health department Sampath Kumar said that the prime goal of the mission is not only to maximise the potential of children from conception to eight years of age but also to convert all anganwadi centers into ECD centers to provide comprehensive support to children.
He said that the ECD mission, which is being carried out in Meghalaya, is first of its kind.
“Additionally, there is a significant focus on community-based ECD interventions. The plan is to engage women’s self-help groups formed under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission to promote positive parenting within the community,” he said.
Managing Trustee at Sesame Workshop India Trust Sonali Khan, on the other hand, said,“Partnering with the Government of Meghalaya to support early childhood development in the state is a great honor for Sesame Workshop India. Our vast experience in creating educational content and outreach initiatives to engage young children across the country will be leveraged to develop innovative approaches tailored to the unique needs of Meghalaya’s young population.”