Delhi Anganwadis to become high-end playschools: Kejriwal

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced that the government will develop the Anganwadis like the high-end playschools.

Kejriwal, along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia, addressed more than 10,000 Anganwadi workers at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here and distributed smartphones to all Anganwadi workers in an effort to digitise all operations of the Anganwadis.

"The smartphones being provided are aimed at reducing the administrative burden of Anganwadi workers and improving the efficiency of the department. It will also help to maintain a real-time monitoring mechanism of the status of all centres. This will be a major step towards enhancing the quality of Anganwadis," the government said in a statement.

Sisodia said he was confident that the Delhi model of Anganwadi reforms will lead the way for the country.

The two leaders also launched Delhi government's ambitious Early Childhood Care Curriculum.

"There is a perception that Anganwadis are merely centres for providing food to children. An Early Childhood Care Curriculum being introduced can provide the kind of care and education that is provided at the high-end playschools. Even the poor will have access to the facilities that the rich have. Anganwadis will now be developed into playschools," Kejriwal said.

Sisodia, also the Minister for Women and Child Development, said it has been acknowledged across the world that 80 per cent of brain development in children happens by the age of 6.

"But India has continued to neglect early childhood care. Delhi's Anganwadi reforms are an effort to change that and build a model for the country," Sisodia said.

He said the Early Childhood Care Curriculum was launched along the lines of the world's best methodologies.

"In 5-6 months people will start coming to you to get advice on how to provide quality child care," he added.