Nipun Maharashtra Mission: Lakhs of mothers turn teachers to prepare tiny tots for school

Time of India

2 days ago

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Nashik: In
Maharashtra
, lakhs of mothers transformed into educators for young children, helping prepare them for their academic journey. More than 11 lakh women with a minimum qualification of Standard X received training to assist children in their neighbourhoods develop essential school-readiness skills.
With formal education starting in Standard I from June, many children, particularly in tribal, rural and remote regions, lack fundamental skills in literacy, numeracy and communication. These women received training through the school education department using State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) materials, employing enjoyable learning methods to ease children's transition into schooling.
Many women, themselves young mothers, found joy in teaching basic concepts to children this May.
"It was like a vacation camp for the children. We made it fun, as most sessions were conducted at home and without any formalities. Most of the children know us because they live nearby and they are friends with our children. It made the entire exercise rewarding," said Aarti Lokhande, a resident of Satana taluka.
This initiative stemmed from the March 2022 state govt decision to enhance Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for children up to 8 years.
The programme, conducted in May during summer holidays, focused on children in Standards I to III. It forms part of the Nipun Maharashtra Mission, implemented with NGO Pratham's support.
Sangeeta Bhusare from Trimbakeshwar taluka, Nashik, explained that volunteer mothers formed small groups of five to 10 members. Her daughter currently attends Standard II at a zilla parishad school. "We were given study material and also taught how to make the children understand the concepts.
Depending on the locality, each one of us in the group had one to five children to teach. We shared the teaching resources and duties as per our convenience," she said.
The sessions, held in participants' homes, concentrated on reading, dictation and basic mathematics. Across Maharashtra, 11.09 lakh mothers participated, with Nashik division recording the highest involvement of 2.05 lakh mothers.
SCERT director Rahul Rekhawar said, "Efforts are being made for parental engagement and this is one of the exercises being conducted to ensure their involvement in foundational literacy and numeracy.
This will help build children's future."
A Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report released in 2024 positioned Maharashtra second among nine large Indian states. State govt conducts yearly assessments of Standard III students to evaluate FLN progress.
"My children and those in the neighbourhood would come home every day to learn something. I even had children coming to their grandparents' home for vacation coming over.
Children enjoyed singing songs, doing simple mathematics, and reading stories," said Vinita Gavit, a mother from Igatpuri taluka.
"Parents' involvement in the studies and building the career of a child is important. While there is awareness in the urban areas, efforts are being made to engage parents in the rural areas for the same. Nipun Maharashtra is one such step, and it is building up. The exercise carried out across the state saw huge involvement of mother,s and this is bound to help improve the children's future," said Sachindra Pratap Singh, the education commissioner.
Nashik: In Maharashtra, lakhs of mothers transformed into educators for young children, helping prepare them for their academic journey. More than 11 lakh women with a minimum qualification of Standard X received training to assist children in their neighbourhoods develop essential school-readiness skills.
With formal education starting in Standard I from June, many children, particularly in tribal, rural and remote regions, lack fundamental skills in literacy, numeracy and communication.
These women received training through the school education department using State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) materials, employing enjoyable learning methods to ease children's transition into schooling.
Many women, themselves young mothers, found joy in teaching basic concepts to children this May.
"It was like a vacation camp for the children. We made it fun, as most sessions were conducted at home and without any formalities.
Most of the children know us because they live nearby and they are friends with our children. It made the entire exercise rewarding," said Aarti Lokhande, a resident of Satana taluka.
This initiative stemmed from the March 2022 state govt decision to enhance Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for children up to 8 years. The programme, conducted in May during summer holidays, focused on children in Standards I to III.
It forms part of the Nipun Maharashtra Mission, implemented with NGO Pratham's support.
Sangeeta Bhusare from Trimbakeshwar taluka, Nashik, explained that volunteer mothers formed small groups of five to 10 members. Her daughter currently attends Standard II at a zilla parishad school. "We were given study material and also taught how to make the children understand the concepts. Depending on the locality, each one of us in the group had one to five children to teach.
We shared the teaching resources and duties as per our convenience," she said.
The sessions, held in participants' homes, concentrated on reading, dictation and basic mathematics. Across Maharashtra, 11.09 lakh mothers participated, with Nashik division recording the highest involvement of 2.05 lakh mothers.
SCERT director Rahul Rekhawar said, "Efforts are being made for parental engagement and this is one of the exercises being conducted to ensure their involvement in foundational literacy and numeracy.
This will help build children's future."
A Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report released in 2024 positioned Maharashtra second among nine large Indian states. State govt conducts yearly assessments of Standard III students to evaluate FLN progress.
"My children and those in the neighbourhood would come home every day to learn something. I even had children coming to their grandparents' home for vacation coming over.
Children enjoyed singing songs, doing simple mathematics, and reading stories," said Vinita Gavit, a mother from Igatpuri taluka.
"Parents' involvement in the studies and building the career of a child is important. While there is awareness in the urban areas, efforts are being made to engage parents in the rural areas for the same. Nipun Maharashtra is one such step, and it is building up. The exercise carried out across the state saw huge involvement of mother,s and this is bound to help improve the children's future," said Sachindra Pratap Singh, the education commissioner.