''Balwadi'' is a native marathi name for pre-schools in Maharashtra. It has been defined by Grewal who is quoted by R. P. Shukla as "A rural pre-primary school run economically but scientifically and using as many educational aids as possible, prepared from locally available material". It was developed by
Tarabai Modak
Tarabai Modak (19 April 1892-1973) was born in Bombay. She graduated from the University of Mumbai in 1914.
She was married to a lawyer from Amravati, Mr. Modak. Later she got a divorce in 1921.
She worked as a principal of a Women's College i ...
, the first balwadi was started in Bordi a coastal village in
Thane district
Thane district (Pronunciation: ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the country, with 11,060,148 inhabitants; however, ...
of
Maharashtra by ''Nutan Bal Shikshan Sangh'' in 1945.
Modak started two types of balwadis namely ''central balwadi'' and ''angan balwadi'' or ''
anganwadi
An Anganwadi is a type of rural child care centre in India. They were started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition. ''Anganwadi'' in H ...
''. ''Central balwadis'' function during regular school hours and are centrally located whereas angan balwadis are located in the neighbourhood of the children targeted and have hours at their convenience. Modak's was a pioneer effort in providing non-formal education at pre-school level in India.
The purpose of balwadis is to provide a child facilities for physical and mental growth at school and at home.
Thousands of balwadis have been set up all over India by government and non-government agencies.
Balwadis were further developed as a part of the government of India's poverty alleviation programme by universalising education. They were developed for children of India's rural poor.
The
Balwadi Nutrition Programme The Balwadi Nutrition Programme is a healthcare and education programme launched by the Government of India to provide food supplements at Balwadis to children of the age group 3–6 years in rural areas.
This program was started in 1970 under the ...
provides food for children at these schools.
Further reading
* ''Inside Mumbai Children of the Balwadi: Changing the Face of Education'', by Asha Saraswat. Ices Pub, 2005. .
*
How to run a Balwadi: sample of a do-it-yourself guide-book', by
Anutai Wagh
Anutai Wagh (17 March 1910 – 1992) was one of the pioneers of pre-school education in India. She was the professional colleague of Tarabai Modak. She along with Modak pioneered a programme whose curriculum was indigenous, used low cost tea ...
. Unesco-UNICEF Co-operative Programme, 1979.
References
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External links
A balwadi in every village
Early childhood education in India
Hindi words and phrases
Rural development in India
History of education in India
Welfare in India