The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Concern over poor attendance at anganwadis

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Concern over poor attendance at anganwadis

By Sandhya Soman

CHENNAI, FEB. 3. The number of little faces peering out of the windows which face the sea at the anganwadis or integrated child development scheme centres (ICDS) in Nochikuppam has dwindled despite counselling and cajoling from various quarters. The two ICDS here had a total of 80 registered students before December 26, 2004. On Monday there were only 30 on the rolls.

The attendance has dipped in most of the 40 centres along Royapuram, Thiruvanmiyur, Nochikuppam, Nochinagar and Srinivasapuram, despite teachers running around kuppams asking mothers to send their children back to the centres where they were fed `sathumavu urundai' (micro nutrient fortified supplementary food mix) in the morning and mixed rice in the afternoon apart from being taught songs, rhymes and games.

Rumours about return of the tsunami have aggravated the apprehensions of teachers of losing the children again if they were left unattended to at these cramped centres.

"Even we are not in a mood to work," says a teacher after a spending a morning trying to seek out her students, whose families have not yet left Nochikuppam.

Attention should be given to staff and teachers to revive the partially-functioning anganwadis, says the convener of T.N. Forum for Crèche and Child Care Services, K. Shanmugavelayutham.

"Nearly 50 anganwadi workers (teachers) and helpers (locals) have been affected by the tsunami.

But somebody has to motivate them so that the ayahs can go and bring the children back. In Cuddalore and Nagapattinam other people have been appointed to help the staff but it is not so in Chennai."

It is not just the death of 13 anganwadi students that teachers have to handle but also orphans and a total of 51 affected children.

Pattinapakkam had suffered the most damage, say ICDS officials.

"Recovery is slow but we are trying to bring back the children."

Even officials, who came to cajole the children to attend the centres, found the going tough. The toy pup that was brought to draw out the children at a Nochikuppam centre reminded one boy of his pet that was washed away in the waters.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

High Court bans regularisation of unauthorised structures built after 1998

Enforce building rules strictly: High Court

Fluctuating steel cost delays project completion

Concern over poor attendance at anganwadis

Olive Ridley nests dot the shores

Thieves target autorickshaws

Suburban trains rescheduled

RPF constable rewarded

Shipping service to Yangon launched

Fire in wastepaper godown

Masters and diploma programme in bioethics

`Vision 2005'

Around the City

In Chennai Today