Odisha Government to Appoint ‘Sevikas’ in Sishu Vatikas to Support Pre-Primary Education

In a major step to strengthen early childhood education, the Odisha government on Sunday announced the deployment of ‘sevikas’ in all ‘sishu vatikas’ functioning across the state. The initiative aims to enhance pre-primary learning and ease the non-teaching burden on school teachers.

According to an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the decision was approved by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi as part of the state’s commitment to effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).

“Sishu vatikas,” introduced in the current academic year under NEP guidelines, are operational in over 45,000 government primary schools in Odisha. These early childhood centres cater to the foundational learning needs of young children before they enter formal schooling.

“The appointed sevikas will support children in their daily learning and care activities while ensuring that primary school teachers can focus more on classroom instruction and academic duties,” a senior education department official said.

The government will soon finalize the recruitment process and training modules for the sevikas to ensure quality early education and child care in all state-run sishu vatikas.