Lok Sabha Question No. 5082 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-04
Subject: Bal Vatikas
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Jayant Sinha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5082 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.04.2022

## Bal Vatikas

## 5082 . SHRI JAYANT SINHA:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  Balvatikas  under  the  New  Education  Policy  2020  allow  for smoother  transition  for  students  from  Anganwadis  to  Schools,  and reduce transition loss and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of Bal Vatikas established in the country so far, State-wise;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  constructed  mechanisms  to  ensure convergence between various Ministries to ensure smooth implementation  of  education  programmes,  especially  the  Ministry  of Education and Ministry of Women and Child Development; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

- (a) Para 1.6 of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 states that prior to  the  age  of  5  every  child  will  move  to  a  'Preparatory  Class'  or 'Balavatika' (that  is,  before  Class  1).  The  learning  in  the  Preparatory Class shall be based primarily on play-based learning with a focus on developing  cognitive,  affective,  and  psychomotor  abilities  and  early literacy  and  numeracy.  The  PM  POSHAN  programme  shall  also  be extended to the Preparatory Classes in primary schools. Health checkups and growth monitoring that are available in the Anganwadi system shall also be made  available to Preparatory Class students of Anganwadi as well as of primary schools. Children who enter Grade-I come  from  diverse  background  and  have  diverse  learning  abilities, therefore,  to  support  the  learning  and  smooth  transition  of  children

entering  Grade-I,  NCERT  has  developed  a  three-month  play  based programme called Vidya Pravesh. Vidya Pravesh is an integral part of the NIPUN Bharat Mission which focuses on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. The programme suggests play-based and developmentally appropriate learning experiences in the form of activities, illustrations, and worksheets designed in accordance with the skills and concepts of NIPUN Bharat Mission.

- (b) The  State/UT-wise  data  of  total  number  of  schools  with  pre-primary classes is at Annexure-I.
- (c)& (d) For ensuring coordination and convergence with the different ministries,  the  Ministry  of  Education  has  constituted  a  special  Joint Task  Force  (JTF)  including  representatives  of  different  Ministries  to oversee  the  implementation  of  ECCE  as  per  NEP  2020.  JTF  has representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Tribal  Affairs,  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Defence, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Department of Sports.

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Annexure-I

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5082 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.04.2022 ASKED BY  HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SHRI JAYANT SINHA REGARDING 'BAL VATIKAS'

| S.No    | State/UTs                            | Total No. of Schools with Pre- Primary Classes   | Total No. of Schools with Pre- Primary Classes   |
|---------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| 1       | Andaman & Nicobar Islands            |                                                  | 272                                              |
|         | Andhra Pradesh                       | 2                                                | 2322                                             |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh                    |                                                  | 554                                              |
| 4       | Assam                                |                                                  | 14330                                            |
| 5       | Bihar                                |                                                  | 149                                              |
| 6       | Chandigarh                           |                                                  | 95                                               |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh                         |                                                  | 67                                               |
| 8       | Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli |                                                  | 6                                                |
| 9       | Delhi                                |                                                  | 1613                                             |
| 10      | Goa                                  |                                                  | 44                                               |
| 11      | Gujarat                              |                                                  | 109                                              |
| 12      | Haryana                              |                                                  | 938                                              |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh                     |                                                  | 2418                                             |
| 14      | Jammu & Kashmir                      |                                                  | 11408                                            |
| 15      | Jharkhand                            |                                                  | 14542                                            |
| 16      | Karnataka                            |                                                  | 740                                              |
| 17      | Kerala                               |                                                  | 2945                                             |
| 18      | Ladakh                               |                                                  | 498                                              |
| 19      | Lakshadweep                          |                                                  | 20                                               |
| 20      | Madhya Pradesh                       |                                                  | 856                                              |
| 21      | Maharashtra                          |                                                  | 1734                                             |
| 22      | Manipur                              |                                                  | 687                                              |
| 23      | Meghalaya                            |                                                  | 4084                                             |
| 24      | Mizoram                              |                                                  | 407                                              |
| 25      | Nagaland                             |                                                  | 1642                                             |
| 26      | Odisha                               |                                                  | 67                                               |
| 27      | Puducherry                           |                                                  | 293                                              |
| 28      | Punjab                               |                                                  | 5010                                             |
| 29      | Rajasthan                            |                                                  | 473                                              |
|         | Sikkim                               | 30                                               | 738                                              |
| 31      | Tamilnadu                            |                                                  | 1717                                             |
| 32      | Telangana                            |                                                  | 378                                              |
|         | Tripura                              | 33                                               | 81                                               |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh                        |                                                  | 1375                                             |
| 35      | Uttarakhand                          |                                                  | 6                                                |
| 36      | West Bengal                          |                                                  | 46760                                            |
|         | Total                                |                                                  | 119378                                           |
| Source: | UDISE+ 2020-21 (Provisional)         |                                                  |                                                  |