Skill Building of ICDS functionaries and community through e- content – ICDS, Department of Social Welfare, Government of Bihar

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Case Study

Even though the New Education Policy 2020 was introduced, it has yet to realise its full potential. There was a general lack of awareness amongst parents and children about the New Education Policy 2020 and the benefits and services it offers. When a target beneficiary population is not made aware of the facilities available to them, or has limited knowledge about the scope, achieving a large positive impact is impossible.

Problem

Low literacy rates, poor mobile connectivity and lack of widespread mobile usage in the community are all challenges faced by the programme. Designing the e-Chaupal and Sajagta platforms for last-mile delivery is also hard work. The local community needs to be counselled to make them more receptive to such programmes.

The authorities felt the need to address the limited capacity of the Integrated Child Development Services under the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Bihar. ICDS field functionaries and Anganwadi Workers are doing good work on the ground but upskilling and training is essential to be able to continue meeting the changing needs of a growing population. These field functionaries are often held back from achieving their full potential simply because of their own limited educational backgrounds.

Solution

ICDS decided to introduce a training and awareness-building programme using e-Content. Digitalised content is easier to share and consume, which affords greater outreach. ICDS Bihar recognises that empowering field functionaries is a crucial step towards improving their efficiency. And so, the department decided to invest in theoretical and practical training programmes for their field workers. The SuNandani- Swasth, Sakshar, Swablambi & Capacity Enhancement Programme aims to feed into the Education sector through human resource training.

ICDS functionaries were registered in an online ECCE course. The CDPO office is to serve as a study centre with provisions for online classes. Phase 1 intends to train 30,000 AWWs and give them training certificates. Learning support, course materials and online learning modules and videos are expected to create a high-calibre workforce that then excels in their individual engagements with beneficiaries and creates long-term community change.

Outcomes

Each AWW is estimated to then impact 5 beneficiary families within a week. Home visits are expected to help reach 10 families for each message. The AWCs are trained to conduct Special Day functions for events like Godh Bharayi, Anna Prashan, Tikka Karan and ECCE Day.

The use of ICT in designing and deploying the digital training platforms and creating e-Content for upskilling is a USP of the project. The content uses themes and engaging content like videos to make a greater impact.

The project allows field functionaries to achieve their full potential and get the most out of government schemes. It also encourages parents and children to work together and develop better bonds. Out-of-the-box thinking and upskilling improves critical thinking ability.

Over 30,000 field functionaries and 30,02,5999 families have been helped as a result of this programme.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Shweta Sahay, Assistant Director-ICDS at eccebihar@gmail.com

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