Date 26-12-2023
Subject: Seeking contribution of Content for Digital Jaadui Pitara

Dear Sir/Ma’am,

National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is one of the main pillars of the National Education Policy 2020(NEP). NCF-Foundation Stage (NCF-FS) was released in October 2022. NEP defines the Foundational Stage
as a single curricular and pedagogical phase that comprises five years of flexible, multilevel, play andactivity-based learning for children between 3 and 8 years of age. A symbol of the transformative natureof NCF-FS is NCERT’s Jaadai Pitara (Magic Box), launched along with related digital pitara on DIKSHA on
20th Feb 2022 by the Honourable Minister of Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
a. Jaadui Pitara has been developed as an exemplar of content needed in any school for theFoundational Stage. It represents a wide range of useful content and demonstrates thesensibilities (age-appropriate, sensory experience and local) to be kept in mind while developing
such content. The Pitara has toys, games, puzzles, puppets, posters, flashcards, story cards, story
books, playbooks for students, and teacher handbooks.
b. The core transformative aspect of NCF-FS is ‘learn through play’. The NCF-FS describes how
children at this stage learn best through play – through activity and doing. Children enjoy learningin several ways - talking, listening, using toys, working with material, painting, drawing, singing,
dancing, running, and jumping.
To Accelerate and amplify the awareness, reach, and impact of the transformative idea of Jaadui Pitara
as a symbol of NCF-FS, the MoE and NCERT have decided to release a e-Jaadui Pitara with the intention
of:i.
Increasing awareness of Jaadui Pitara among teachers, parents and communities.
ii.
Democratising access to content to overcome the limitations of the physical Jaadui Pitara.
The e-Jaadui Pitara will leverage diverse digital technologies to complement the physical Jaadui Pitara andenable access through multiple channels- e.g. computers, smartphones, feature phones, television andradio. Leverage the potential of generative AI for relevant content creation and for language translation.
Leverage existing digital infrastructure to enable and empower the local ecosystem to participate andcreate content.

In order to showcase and ensure diversity of content from across the country the Ministry of Education isinviting submissions of foundational stage content from State Governments and Union Territories fromacross India as well as from non governmental organisations and several other organisations working withon and for the foundational stage. To invite and gather diversity of content and to unlock value ofexpertise to be relevant to local content and context. NCERT has in the past enabled and launched similar
programs such as Vidyadaan in 2020 and has also encourage local creation and curation of content
Stage governments, NGOs and other organisations are invited to share relevant digital content for thefoundational stage to the email id mentioned below. These submitted content pieces will be curated by
NCERT and to be made availale on the e- Jaadui Pitara, the submitting content providers will receive due
acknowledgement for the creator and provider of content and shall be released as NCERT curated content.
Please share some sample content and as per details in Annexure 1 to < email id> by 27th December 2023
for further action.

With Regards,

Enclosures:
Annexure 1 : Categories of content and suggested Guidelines for content submissionAnnexure 2: Concept note on eJaaduiPitara

Annexure 1

1. Key Content Categories
a. Activity Video for Parentsb. Activity Video for Teachersc. Stories - as videos and audios
d. Songs - as videos and audios
e. Rhymes/Lullabies - as videos and audios
f. Riddles - as video and audios
2. Content Languages : All Indian Languages.
3. Content Guidelines
These are suggested guidelines for Activity videos:Relevance● Content must be relevant to the context of NCF-Foundational Stage● Content must be identified as relevant for parent/teacher or both
● Content must be in audio or video form
Clarity in Explanation:● Clear in audio and visuals without distractions in terms of background music etc● Clear and explanatory presentations, ensuring ease of understanding for the audience insimple language.
● Relatable and realistic settings to enhance viewer connection.
● Step-by-step instructions for activities, emphasizing simplicity in language.
Simplicity and Inclusivity:● Self-explanatory content, allowing viewers to comprehend activities throughobservation.
● Showcases real-life settings, example home or a classroom or an Aanganwadi center.
Practicality and Availability:● Utilize commonly available resources, promoting accessibility.
● Use of materials found in immediate environments to enhance practicality.
● Ensure that the curated content features activities that are feasible with readily
available resources.
Engagement and Inspiration:● Focus on bite-sized segments to maintain viewer engagement. (2-3 minutes is idealtime)● Encourage a "see and do" approach, fostering active participation.
● Sparks creativity and inspires additional ideas through the demonstration of various
concepts.
Real-life Demonstration:● Integrates real-life environments, adding authenticity.

●●Involve children in activities, making them relatable.
Showcases specific concepts in practical, real-world settings to enhance understanding.

Suggested guidelines for Stories, Rhymes - as video and audio
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Clarity of sound and visuals
No jarring or distracting background music
Age appropriate visuals and images for Foundational Stage
Accessible for persons with disabilities
Inclusive and diverse in language and representation
Connected to the NCF- Foundational Stage
Focus on bite-sized ones to maintain engagement. (around 3 minutes is ideal time)

Annexure 2

Concept Note on Digital Jaadui Pitara
A. Background and context
B. The Digital Jaadui Pitara as a complement to the physical versions
C. Objectives of Digital Jaadui Pitara
D. Key principles in implementing the Digital Jaadui Pitara
E. Implementing the Digital Jaadui Pitara
F. Next Steps
Appendix 1 and 2
A. Background and context
National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is one of the main pillars of the National Education Policy 2020
(NEP). NCF-Foundation Stage (NCF-FS) was released in October 2022. NEP defines the Foundational
Stage as a single curricular and pedagogical phase that comprises five years of flexible, multilevel, play
and activity-based learning for children between 3 and 8 years of age.
A symbol of the transformative nature of NCF-FS is NCERT’s Jaadai Pitara (Magic Box), launched on
20th Feb 2022 by the Honourable Minister of Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
a. Jaadui Pitara has been developed as an exemplar of content needed in any school for theFoundational Stage. It represents a wide range of useful content and demonstrates the sensibilities(age-appropriate, sensory experience and local) to be kept in mind while developing such content.
The Pitara has toys, games, puzzles, puppets, posters, flashcards, story cards, story books,playbooks for students, and teacher handbooks.

b. The core transformative aspect of NCF-FS is ‘learn through play’. The NCF-FS describes how
children at this stage learn best through play – through activity and doing. Children enjoy learningin several ways - talking, listening, using toys, working with material, painting, drawing, singing,
dancing, running, and jumping.
c. Pedagogy at this stage will involve conversations, storytelling, toy-based learning, songs andrhymes, music and movement, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor games, spending time withnature, and field trips.
d. Pedagogy for literacy will need to focus on oral language development, word recognition, reading,and writing. For numeracy, the pedagogy will need to focus on oral math, teaching skills, mathgames, and practising skills.
e. The content used in teaching at this stage should be derived from children’s life experiences andreflect the cultural, geographical, and social context in which the child is developing and growing,
moving from familiar to unfamiliar, simple to complex, and from self to others, and accommodate
the diverse interests of children.
f. Teaching-learning materials that engage children in multi-sensorial activities and actively use theirhands – simple toys to manipulatives for counting and numeracy, children’s books, picture books,
activity books, worksheets, audio-visual materials etc. – should support learning.

The Jaadui Pitara has received favourable reactions from whoever has seen and interacted with its contents
since its launch. Administrators, teachers, and, most importantly, young children have enthusiasticallyembraced it as a symbol of the transformational nature of FS and its central pedagogical focus on Play. TheJaadui Pitara elicits wonder, curiosity and joy among young children.
The percolation of the idea of Jaadui Pitara and its reach has been slower than desired. This is primarily
due to the constraints of the physical nature of the Jaadui Pitara - like production, distribution, procurement,
cost, space etc. Also, the initial launch mainly focused on content to be used by the teacher in the classroom,
not by parents at home or in community activities.
Digital technologies and technology-enabled channels can accelerate and amplify the transformational
impact of NCF-FS, as manifested through the Jaadui Pitara.
Consequently, in a meeting on 10th November 2023, the Honourable Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhansuggested launching a Digital Jaadui Pitara, to complement the physical Jaadui Pitara and overcome its
physical limitations.
B. The Digital Jaadui Pitara as a complement to the physical versions
The empowering nature of technology offers multiple possibilities and convenience for administrators,academics, teachers and parents to achieve the intent of NEP 2020:
a. Enabling access to a diverse range and depth of content and material contextual for the child, ageappropriate, and in a range of languages, and materials not only for the teachers (as in the case ofphysical Jaadui Pitara) but also for parents and communities.

b. Enabling access to content in diverse languages, channels, spaces, and formats to ensure equitable
access and inclusion of Divyang children.
c. Ensuring that the focus of the material would be to create an enjoyable experience for the learnerand feed the child’s innate wonder, curiosity and joy.
d. Supporting the capability development of teachers, parents, and the community. (educating thecommunity/parents/teachers while educating children)e. Enabling interactive content and going beyond the limitation of the number of printed content andlanguages in which they can be.
f. Enables the inclusion of best practices from around the country, leading to more innovation,
creativity and enhancement of Digital Jaadui Pitara.
g. Valuable feedback to academics and administrators by providing data on usage of content
C. Objectives of Digital Jaadui Pitara
a. Accelerate and amplify the awareness, reach, and impact of the transformative idea of Jaadui Pitara
as a symbol of NCF-FSi.
Increase awareness of Jaadui Pitara among teachers, parents and communities.
ii.
Democratise access to content to overcome the limitations of the physical Jaadui Pitara.
b. Digital technologies complement the physical Jaadui Pitara.
i.
Leverage multiple channels- e.g. computers, smartphones, feature phones, television andradio.
ii.
Leverage the potential of generative AI for relevant content creation and for languagetranslation.
iii.
Leverage existing digital infrastructure to enable and empower the local ecosystem toparticipate and create content.

D. Key principles in implementing the Digital Jaadui Pitara
a. Accelerating the universal availability of Jaadui Pitara by liberating its physical constraints.
b. It complements the physical Jaadui Pitara and increases its effectiveness.
c. Provides choice and convenience to all stakeholders by giving them access via multiple channels
like computers, smartphones, feature phones, television, radio, printed material, etc.
d. Provides multiple options of inclusive, locally and contextually relevant content
e. Awareness and understanding of the idea by all stakeholders is also critical to adoption and usage.
f. National digital infrastructure is provided to the ecosystem for content dissemination, content
creation, and participation. This can enable local language content based on the location, context,and participation of teachers and parents and also enable the sharing of best practices to promote
innovation and democratisation.
g. The Digital Jaadui Pitara is to be created as an exemplar and is not meant to be prescriptive.
E. Implementing the Digital Jaadui Pitara

The Digital Jaadui Pitara could be implemented as a multi-phased project with an initial launch phase andsubsequent phases for scaling up the program and further refining and evolving it.
Phase 1 - Launch of Digital Jaadui Pitara: This will launch the idea and showcase the possibilities. It will
have two major components:
1. Digital Jaadui Pitara: NCERT will showcase the potential and possibilities to the nation throughexemplary content and technologies:
a. Content in multiple languages,
b. Content for teachers, parents and administrators,c. Content through multiple channels like mobile apps, TV, Radio, phygital (QR-coded printmaterials) etc.
d. Content in various formats - audio, video, interactive, pdf for download.
e. Leveraging the latest technologies like AI.
Since the launch timeline is short- existing content (from DIKSHA, NROER, NIPUN, Toy mission etc),technologies (generative AI) and digital infrastructure (eg. QR coding, DIKSHA, Anuvadini, FS
Taxonomy, etc) will be used for launch. See Appendix 1 and Appendix 2. The same can be enhanced andimproved subsequently.
2. IEC Campaign - An IEC (Information Education and Communication) campaign will also belaunched (Song, Film, Logo etc.) to create awareness of the idea of Jaadui Pitara as a relatablemanifestation of the transformative nature of NCF-FS.
Phase 2 : Scaling Up: In subsequent phases, the focus can be on :○ Enabling it reaches out to all citizens in the country.
○ Capacity building to create better, diverse and more content○ Ecosystem participation○ Leveraging further advanced technology