YACHULI, Jun 11: In a major initiative aimed at strengthening early childhood care and education, 113 Anganwadi workers from 118 Anganwadi Centres across Keyi Panyor district participated in a district-level leadership and capacity building workshop held at Govt Hr Sec School, Yachuli, on Thursday.
The workshop was organised under the Comprehensive Action Plan for Education (CAPE), a flagship programme of the Keyi Panyor Mission Plan 2040 (KPMP 2040), and witnessed nearly 96 per cent participation from the district's Anganwadi workforce.
The programme, held under the leadership of Yachuli MLA Toko Tatung, brought together Anganwadi workers from six educational clusters—Param Putu, Yachuli, Yazali, Pitapool, Deed and Pistana. The event was attended by Zilla Panchayat Chairperson, ZPMs, GPCs, ICDS officials and members of the CAPE Core Team.
Held under the theme "Every Anganwadi a Centre of Hope, Learning and Community Leadership" and campaign slogan "Our Anganwadi, Our Pride," the workshop focused on transforming Anganwadis into vibrant centres of early learning, child development and community participation.
Through interactive sessions and group discussions, participants explored ways to strengthen enrolment, attendance, nutrition monitoring, parent engagement and community ownership of Anganwadi Centres. Village-level action plans were also developed to achieve universal enrolment and improve service delivery.
A role-reversal exercise, in which workers assumed the roles of administrators, parents and community leaders, encouraged participants to reflect on priorities for strengthening Anganwadi services.
Discussions highlighted the need for improved infrastructure, better nutritional support and stronger institutional backing, while underscoring the importance of dignity, care and child development.
The training sessions were facilitated by the CAPE team led by Mujahid Nafees, with support from Evita Das, Mitra Ranjan and Rajeev Ranjan. The training module was developed by education activist Dr Anil Roy, while Aneil Deepak, CEO of Ekluvya, also assisted the programme.
Addressing the gathering, MLA Tatung reiterated his commitment to strengthening the Anganwadi ecosystem in the district and making early childhood development a key pillar of Keyi Panyor's growth.
He announced a district-wide Anganwadi Excellence Initiative under which all six clusters would identify and nurture high-performing centres. Outstanding Anganwadi Workers would also be recognised, while the best-performing centres would receive exposure and learning opportunities.
Earlier, CDPO Taba Anu while welcoming the participants, highlighted the importance of strengthening Anganwadi services, and Vijayan MJ, CEO of KPMP 2040 and CAPE, outlined the broader vision of the initiative.
The workshop concluded with participants signing CAPE Commitment Cards and pledging to work towards universal enrolment, improved attendance, stronger parent engagement and better nutrition and learning outcomes for children.
The workshop reinforced the central message of the CAPE initiative: "Education does not begin in schools; it begins in Anganwadis."