Union Government Guidelines for Co-locating Anganwadis

In a significant move to enhance early childhood education, the Union government has issued guidelines to co-locate approximately 11 lakh anganwadis with primary schools. This initiative, launched on September 3, 2025, aims to ensure a seamless transition for children from early learning to formal schooling in Class 1.

Purpose and Scope

• Anganwadi centres focus on the nutrition and early education of children aged 0-6 years.
• The goal is to facilitate the co-location of anganwadis with schools to improve accessibility to pre-primary education for lower-income groups.

Current Status

• Out of 14 lakh anganwadis, nearly 2.9 lakh have been co-located with nearby schools.
• There are about 11 lakh anganwadis yet to be mapped or co-located.

Initiative Details

The guidelines, issued jointly by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), establish a roadmap for states and union territories to enhance co-location efforts.

• Emphasis on the synergy between anganwadi staff and school teachers through joint activities and curriculum alignment.
• Introduction of the ‘Aadharshila’ curriculum for children aged 3-6 years to enhance educational continuity.

Data Management and Tracking

• Need for reconciliation between Poshan Tracker and UDISE+ databases to avoid data duplication.
• Inclusion of co-located anganwadis in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+).
• Provision of Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry IDs (APAAR IDs) for children aged 3-6 in anganwadis for effective tracking.
• Potential integration with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for seamless ID management from birth.

Challenges and Solutions

• Limited convergence between anganwadis and schools despite physical co-location.
• Gaps in access to basic facilities like electricity and learning resources for co-located anganwadis.
• Recommendation for critical evaluation of co-location models to ensure effectiveness.

Guidelines mandate that anganwadis, when relocated, should not force beneficiaries to travel more than 500 meters in urban areas and 1 km in rural areas. Additionally, efforts should be made to avoid physically co-locating more than two anganwadis in a single school.