During the year under SAMUHA-Plan, the integrated village development project continued to

focus its work on strengthening the functioning of government ICDS centres by providing

systematic training to the workers and helpers in 60 centres. The training covered techniques and skills of teaching, developing materials, understanding needs of pre-school children and

developing self confidence and motivation. Now, there is visible change in the attitude and

behaviour of workers across these centres. Classes are lively and interactive and children are

happy and well cared of. Altogether, 3018 children benefited as a result.

Evaluation shows benefits of training

An evaluation of 30 centres showed that after the intervention there is now a more cooperative

spirit of working among the centre staff and they are more actively engaged in interacting with the children and teaching them with more creative methods. The teachers in the centres are more confident and want their centres to become ‘model’ centres. They are also prepared to give

training to workers in other centres. Those who have yet to receive the training expressed their

need for it and are eagerly waiting for it. Some of them have even taken the initiative to

themselves go to other centres and learn from those who have been trained already. The

teachers look happy, confident, interested, and active and want their centers to be model centers

and ready to give training to other ICDS workers. In fact those who didn’t get the training are

waiting eagerly for such training. They expressed this need of this. Some of them even go to the

neighboring centers of workers who had training and learn from them. Out of the 60 trained, 15

interested workers have been formed into core group which commits to meet regularly towards

continue their learning process. During this year there was also a concentration on training of

helpers in these centers and out of the total 87 centers/helpers, 45 have successfully completed

the training.

Improved quality of education in 18 government schools

In order to improve the quality of education in government schools, SAMUHA provided trained

education animators in 18 government schools to support the teachers in developing innovative

techniques and suitable teaching aids and materials to involve children in more interactive and

joyful methods of learning. Even after withdrawal of the animators, the schools are maintaining

the activity, which has improved the quality of education provided to the children. Apart from this

SAMUHA conducted short term residential bridge courses for 327 children who had dropped out

of schools to coach them so they could re-join school. Altogether, 892 children benefited as a

result.