Square Panda India, Vedanta Partner to Launch Anganwadi Education Transformation Program in Uttar Pradesh

Mumbai/New Delhi: Today, education company Square Panda India announced a strategic partnership with Nand Ghar, an Anil Agarwal Foundation Initiative. Project Nand Ghar is a transformative leap dedicated to benefiting rural women, children, and communities. These model state-of-the-art anganwadis are working in partnership with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

This partnership aims to provide the first of its kind Anganwadi Education Transformation Program by giving quality education to young children and upskilling Anganwadi workers from 100 Nand Ghars (Anganwadis) across the state of Uttar Pradesh. 

Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said, "I am delighted to see that Vedanta’s flagship project, Nand Ghar, is transforming the lives of rural women and children across the country. We are committed to fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of eradicating child malnutrition, providing education and healthcare, and empowering rural women through skill development, and Nand Ghar will be the change agent. I have no doubt in my mind that Nand Ghar will continue to create a better tomorrow for the mother and child at the grassroots level." 

Ashish Jhalani, President (International Markets) Square Panda Inc. and Managing Director, Square Panda India, shared, "Anganwadis are community spaces that lay a strong foundation for a child's psychological, physical, and social development. We are proud to partner with Vedanta for this research-based programme that is well-aligned with NEP 2020 with a strong focus on both foundational learning and capacity building of the Anganwadi worker."

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The Anganwadi Education Transformation Program includes an early childhood education programme for early learners (3-6 years) designed as per the Integrated Child Development Scheme curriculum. It aims to focus on the development of the essential physical, cognitive, language, and socio-emotional skills in young learners with the help of visual, storytelling, experiential, gamified, and activity-based approaches in both digital and traditional modes of learning. 

The programme structure also includes training for the Anganwadi workers and workshops on early childhood care and education for ICDS Supervisors and CDPOs so that they can better support the vision of Project Nand Ghar.

Initially launched in Uttar Pradesh, the programme will be gradually rolled out in other states. With blended learning now an important part of the learning experience, it will run as a home learning programme supported by digital learning resources till the time anganwadis are closed and will transition to in-Anganwadi learning after COVID restrictions are lifted and children are called back to Anganwadi centres.

Parents will play a critical role in this home learning experience and will be provided access to daily lessons and activities that have been mapped to the curriculum. These will be delivered via WhatsApp, where parents will receive daily lessons and conduct them with their children. Square Panda India will also provide support throughout the programme duration through its AI-driven chatbot, SquareTalk, which is available in multiple languages. The programme will be continuously monitored and mapped against pre-defined qualitative and quantitative learning outcomes.