Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
In India, ICDS provides early childhood education to children (3–6 years) under the supervision of Anganwadi Teacher (AWT). The study concluded that out of 42 AWTs, the majority are Schedule caste (SC) teachers and have more than 10 years of experience and only half of the AWTs have an intermediate and above qualification. The study also revealed that three-quarters of preschool children were from the SC community, and the rest came from other communities. The vast majority of AWCs have building blocks, charts, picture books and carpets, but the vast majority (65%) lack a first aid box. As per the study, the most difficult challenges for SC AWTs in organizing preschool education are as follows: insufficient space for class activities, material storage and indoor games; children’s irregularities, other responsibilities; parental migration, English medium schools and a lack of basic amenities, all of which impede proper pre-school education implementation.