Dikhyaa Mohanty 
In a landmark step to strengthen early childhood education, the Odisha government has announced the introduction of ‘Sishu Vatikas’ across all government primary schools starting from the Academic Year (AY) 2025-26. The notification was issued by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Government of Odisha, School & Mass Education Department on Monday and will be published in the Odisha Gazette. As part of this new initiative aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, children aged 5 to 6 years will be enrolled in pre-school education at these specially created centers. The move aims to boost foundational learning and provide quality early education at the grassroots level.
“After careful consideration, in order to provide better support to Primary Grade teachers and in the interest of achieving improved learning outcomes for the pre-school education of young learners, the State Government is pleased to decide as follows,” the notification stated.
In a major step to enhance early childhood education, the Odisha government has stated that “Sishu Vatikas” will be implemented in all government primary schools starting in the Academic Year (AY) 2025–2026. The Commissioner-cum-Secretary forwarded the notification to the School & Mass Education Department of the Government of Odisha on Monday, and it would be published in the Odisha Gazette. As part of this new initiative, which aligns with the National teaching Policy 2020, children between the ages of 5 and 6 will be enrolled in pre-school teaching at these specially developed facilities. The initiative aims to improve basic learning and provide high-quality early education at the local level.
The initiative’s financial implications have been approved by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India, and will be funded through the Samagra Shiksha budget.
