Maharashtra to launch school readiness campaign for Class 1 students from 2022-23 session

NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra government is launching a school readiness campaign called “Pahile Paul” or “First Steps” for students starting Class 1 in the next academic year, 2022-23. The state government has collaborated with the Pratham Foundation to launch the campaign, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad announced today.

“Children are our future; their future is literally in our hands and building any future requires a strong foundation.With this aim in mind, we are launching Pahile Paul or First steps - a school readiness campaign for children starting Std 1 next academic year,” Gaikwad said in a tweet.

Children are our future; their future is literally in our hands and building any future requires a strong foundation.With this aim in mind, we are launching Pahile Paul or First steps - a school readiness campaign for children starting Std 1 next academic year. @Pratham_India pic.twitter.com/NWNeqDkvPC

— Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) April 18, 2022

“They say well begun is half done. Pahile Paul is a collaboration between the Maharashtra government and Pratham that aims to help prepare a child mentally, physically, emotionally and academically to learn effectively in school and prepare them for the future,” she added.

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Talking about the campaign, the minister said that a growing body of evidence shows that most of our brain development occurs in early childhood. Emotional, physical, social, cognitive and linguistic capacities built during these years are vital for a child's progress in school and workplaces later.

Gaikwad informed that the government is starting off with the first set of Pahile Paul melavas or camps in schools. Community engagement and empowerment of mothers' in preparing the child for school is a distinguishing feature of this campaign, she said.

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Through the campaign, mothers, who are actually the first teachers of our children, will be provided with resources to supplement children's education with home based and fun activities. The mothers will also be assigned groups where they will get together to conduct school preparedness activities, assess their child's progress and support each other. 4.5 lakh mother groups will be formed under the campaign. Teachers, education and village officials will help them in this process, she said.

The camps held in schools will have fun and innovative ways to gauge the school readiness of children and help familiarise them with the staff and the process of schooling.

“We want our children to learn while enjoying the foundational years of their education. Pahile Paul believes it takes a village to raise a child & therefore intends to engage the entire village from the child's home to school & panchayat in shaping the best future for them,” Varsha Gaikwad further said.