Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has announced the rollout of ‘Sishu Vatikas’—pre-school learning centres—across all government primary schools from the Academic Year 2025–26. The move is aimed at strengthening foundational learning for children aged 5 to 6 years in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
A notification to this effect was issued by the School and Mass Education Department on Monday and will soon be published in the Odisha Gazette. As per the notification, the initiative is intended to provide structured pre-primary education, laying a stronger base for students before they enter Grade 1.
“The State Government has taken this decision after careful consideration, to enhance learning outcomes and provide better support to primary grade teachers in facilitating pre-school education,” the notification read.
To implement the programme effectively, the government has decided to appoint dedicated support staff—Sishu Sevikas—at these centres. These personnel will assist schoolteachers in delivering quality early education. Each Sishu Sevika will receive a monthly honorarium of ₹3,000, equivalent to that of Cook-cum-Helpers currently employed in government schools.
The recruitment of Sishu Sevikas will be managed by the respective School Management Committees (SMCs), while the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) will issue detailed guidelines outlining their roles and responsibilities.
The financial requirements for the initiative have already been approved by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India, and the programme will be funded under the Samagra Shiksha scheme.
Educationists and child development experts have welcomed the initiative, calling it a vital move toward making foundational education more accessible, structured, and inclusive. With Sishu Vatikas, Odisha becomes one of the few states to systematically integrate pre-school education into its formal primary school framework—directly supporting the goals of universal foundational literacy and numeracy.
