GOVERNMENT OFANDHRA PRADESH

ABSTRACT

Universalisation ofElementary Education -- Convergence of ECE component of DPEP (Education Department) withthe AWC’s under ICDS of Women Development and Child Welfare Department -- Orders– Issued

EDUCATION(SE-PROG.I) DEPARTMENT

G.O.MS.No. 49.                                                     Dated: 2-5-2000.

ORDER :-

    Toachieve the goal of Universalisation of Elementary Education by reducing differences inenrollment, dropout and learning achievement between the gender and social groups,Government of Andhra Pradesh have established Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centresunder District Primary Education Project (DPEP). These centres were being managed by ECESchool Committees.

2.    Further, there hasbeen a demand for preprimary education facilities particularly from Rural and Tribal areasin the State. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme of Women Developmentand Child Welfare and Disabled Welfare Department (WDCW&DW Department) is also workingfor the cause of child development. In response to the demands and need, it has beendecided to converge the ECE component of DPEP (Education Department) with ICDS of(WDCW&DW Department) by providing financial assistance to the willing existing MothersCommittees of the Anganwadi centres.

3.    Government herebyformulate a scheme of assistance to the Mothers Committees who are willing and comeforward to avail of such assistance as envisaged herein to implement the scheme, dulyfollowing the guidelines at Annexure I to this order. The Government therefore issueorders for implementation of the scheme in 19 DPEP districts i.e., other than East &West Godavari districts, Krishna and Hyderabad Districts, with immediate effect.

4.    Inview of the convergence sought between Anganwadi under ICDS and ECE components of DPEP, itis felt necessary that there should be representation of all concerned in the State levelExecutive Committee constituted under DPEP. Principal Secretary, Women Development andChild Welfare Department or her nominee, Commissioner Women Development and Child WelfareDepartment will be the members of the State level Committee. In addition, theCommissioner, Women Development and Child Welfare department may nominate two (2)Anganwadi workers, One Supervisor, One CDPO and Project Director, Women Development andChild Welfare Department to the Executive Committee for a period of One year withnominations being renewed every year there after up to 2003 i.e., up to the end of Projectperiod of DPEP.

5.    TheGovernment hereby issue further guidelines on monitoring system for effective convergenceby constituting different committees at Village level to District Level. The Constitutionof the committees alongwith monitoring system is given in Annexure II.

6.    TheGovernment hereby direct that 36,837 Anganwadi centres in the state along with theexisting 2180 ECE centres of DPEP shall be accordingly upgraded / converged as case may befor which an amount of Rs 3408.55 lakhs is sanctioned under DPEP. As soon as the Anganwadicentre is converged with ECE centre or in the absence of ECE centre, Anganwadi Centre willbe upgraded and wherever the Mother's Committee have come forward for such upgradation ofAnganwadi centres, a list of such centres with bank account numbers shall be sent by theCDPO to the APC concerned. The APC in turn shall effect the Bank account transfer from hisaccount to accounts of the Mother's committee for a period of 3 months.

7.    TheDistrict Project Coordinators, APCs, Project Director, Women Development and Child WelfareDepartment shall undertake a detailed exercise accordingly and complete the same by theend of June, 2000. The Commissioner, Women Development and Child Welfare Department,Project Director, ICDS, SPD DPEP shall jointly review the progress and ensure the aboveinstructions are complied with.

8.    TheSPD, DPEP in consultation with Women Development and Child Welfare Department shall issuedetailed guidelines on the procedure to be followed for extending assistance to thosewilling Mother Committees in the area which already have ECE/AW Centres and in other areaswhere women are willing to constitute into a Mothers Committee and come forward to seekassistance under this scheme as per the terms and conditions of this scheme (ReferAnnexure I & II).

9.    TheFinancial assistance to this scheme is purely temporary and is proposed for a period ofthree years. At the end of three years i.e., after DPEP is wound of by 2003, the WomenDevelopment and Child Welfare Development will undertake review of the effectiveness ofthe scheme and take a decision whether to continue it or not. The Government reserves theright to review, modify and to examine the desirability of the continuation or otherwiseof the scheme, at any time prior to the completion for the proposed three years.

10.    TheGovernment also reserve the right to modify the quantum as well as the terms of assistanceat any point of time during the scheme.

11.    TheAssistance will be released on a quarterly basis to the Mothers Committees. The secondquarter shall be released only after the project / divisional level committee havereviewed the progress where after the CDPO and Dy. DEO shall satisfy themselves on theconvergence and proper functioning of the committee subject to which quarterly releasesshall be made by Additional Project Coordinator, DPEP.

12.    TheCommissioner, Women Development and Child Welfare Department, Project Director, ICDS andSPD, DPEP are requested to issue necessary instructions to monitor and ensure properimplementation of the above orders immediately.

13.    This orders with the concurrence Finance (PMU) Dept. vide their U.O.NoNo.243/Fin.-PMU/2000, dt. 25-3-2000.

(BY ORDER AND IN THE NAMEOF THE GOVERNOR OF ANDHRA PRADESH)

M.CHAYA RATAN,
SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT

To
The State Project Director, D.P.E.P., Hyderabad.
The Commissioner, Women Development and Child Welfare Department.
The Commissioner & Director of School Education, Hyderabad.
All the Project Directors, District Women & Child Welfare Department
         (thro’ Commissioner, W.D.&C.W. ,Hyderabad.)
All the Addl. Project Coordinators, DPEP, thro’ S.P.D., DPEP, Hyderabad.
All the District Collectors.
All the Regional Joint Directors in the State thro’ C & DSE, Hyd.
All the District Educational Officers in the State thro’ C & DSE, Hyd.
The Women Development and Child Welfare and Disabled Welfare Department, Secretariat,Hyderabad.

Copy to:
The Finance (PMU) Department.
Prog.II Section of Education department.
P.S. to M (SE).
P.S. to M (W.D.C.W. & D.W.)
P.S. to Principal Secretary, W.D.C. & D.W. (ICDS) Dept.
P.S. to Secretary, Education Dept.
SF/Spare.

//FORWARDED::BY ORDER//

SECTIONOFFICER

Annexure I

Guidelines foroperationalising effective convergence

1. The scheme of assistance will be provided for a period of 3 years starting from May, 2000 where after mothers committee will have to motivate local community and mobilise their own resources to continue the facility if they so desire.
2. Government have already issued orders vide circular memo No.1713/ICDS.A1/99-1, dated: 11.3.99 for establishing / constructing AWCs in the primary school premises or vice-versa. The Project Director, ICDS and the District Educational Officer shall accordingly coordinate and ensure the same. The AWCs of ICDS functioning in rented buildings should be shifted to the premises of primary school on priority.
3. The Anganwadi centres of the ICDS will function from 9-00 AM to 3.30 P.M. during which ECE activities will be conducted from 1.30 P.M. onwards. For the extended additional hours an assistance to the extent of Rs. 200/- and Rs. 100/- per month will be offered to the Instructor and helper respectively from the DPEP funds through the willing Mothers Committee of the Anganwadi centres.
4. Wherever the strength of the centres exceeds 50, the Mothers Committee may engage an additional helper for which the DPEP shall provide the required financial assistance.
5. The Headmasters of the Schools and A.W. worker shall ensure that only the children who are 6 plus attend the school and those between 3 to 6 years attend only the AWC. In other words it shall be the responsibility of the Headmaster to ensure that no underaged children are allowed to attend class I. This would also ensure health, nutrition and pre-schooling facilities to such children at the AWC.
6. The location of Anganwadi centre should be within the primary school complex. If there is no accommodation for the Anganwadi centres in the existing primary school, the DPEP / ICDS shall endeavour to provide necessary financial assistance for the construction of an additional room.
7. The Anganwadi centres of ICDS functioning in rented buildings should be shifted to the premises of primary school in the accommodation so provided.
8. Wherever ECE centres of DPEP are existing and no Anganwadi centre is functioning presently and if the Women Development and Child Welfare Department wish to open a new Anganwadi centre, the existing ECE centre should be converted as AWC to provide above mentioned facilities wherever the Mothers’ Committee is willing for such convergence. The instructor and helper of the ECE may be continued with the approval of the Mothers Committee, if they otherwise satisfy the criteria for appointment and if the Mothers’ Committee so desire. If the committee is not satisfied they may replace with other local persons following the duly prescribed procedure.
9. ICDS and DPEP shall together develop and provide training in schoolreadiness area as per ECE philosophy to functionaries at all levels of ICDS including Anganwadi Instructors.
10. The Headmaster shall maintain a close rapport with Mothers Committee. The AW workers should ensure that the pre-schooling facility offered now from the AWC is imparted properly and the children attend the AWC as per their age.
11. The existing mothers committee formed by the parents of the children of Anganwadi centres will ensure the following :

1. Locate the centre in appropriate premises and strive to provide water and toilet facility.

2. Mobilise enrollment for the centre.

3. Supervise and monitor the functioning of the Centre

4. Mobilise local resources / funds for strengthening and improving the quality of the  inputs at the centre.

e) Ensure properimplementation and sustainability of the scheme

1. In villages where there are 2 Mothers committees one for ECE and one for Anganwadi centre, a meeting of both committees will be conducted by the MRP concerned in the presence of Supervisor ICDS and both the committees will be got merged and one committee will be formed preferably by encouraging unanimous election by both committees following the procedure envisaged in AP Education (Community Participation) Act, 1998. The Bank accounts will be accordingly got amended with only one account being continued. Wherever there is a contest CDPO and Dy.DEO shall personally visit such villages and motivate the committees for conduct of unanimous elections failing which follow the provisions as contained in the AP Education (Community Participation) Act, 1998. The Bank account opened there after along with the relevant particulars will be furnished to the APC for releasing quarterly budget.

2. Apart from DPEP and ICDS project authorities strengthening the centres, the Mothers Committees/School Committees will also be motivated to strengthen the centers and to provide play school facilities for the children coming to these centers.

Annexure II

Monitoring system for effectiveconvergence:

1. As indicated in the flow diagram (above) there will be District level sub-committee with Project Director, Women Development and Child Welfare Department, Sectoral Officers of DPEP, District level committee constituted for ICDS with APC, DPEP as Convenor and 2 Chairpersons of Mothers Committee (with two years tenure)
2. Similarly at the district level senior most CDPO of the revenue division headquarters will be the convenor of the Divisional level committee under the Chairmanship of RDO / Sub-Collector with Dy.DEO as the Member and 2 Chairpersons of Mothers Committee (with two years tenure)
3. At the Mandal level MEO will be the convenor with the Supervisor, ICDS and MRPs as Members and 2 Chairpersons of Mothers Committee (with two years tenure)
4. At the village level the Mother's committee, School Committee members and Anganwadi instructors will comprise a Village level Committee with the Headmaster of the concerned school as the convenor.
5. The district level committee shall meet as frequently as necessary till all the Anganwadi Centres and ECE centres are established jointly as one Anganwadi Centre. Thereafter the district level sub-committee shall meet at least once in a month to monitor and review the functioning of the Anganwadi Centres and to take necessary follow up action.
6. Similarly, the Divisional, Mandal and Village level committees will also meet as frequently as necessary till Anganwadi Centres and ECEs are converged as AWCs in their jurisdiction. These committees will thereafter meet at least once every month to monitor and review the functioning of the Anganwadi Centres.
7. To ensure effective monitoring and to achieve objectives envisaged, the Registers already prescribed at the Anganwadi centres will be suitably modified if required by the SPD, DPEP in consultation with the Project Director, ICDS and firm up an effective computerised monitoring system.