Assam IAS officer sets example; sends son to Anganwadi for pre-schooling

There is no question that when civil servants and elected officials begin to use government facilities, improvements will occur quickly.

If Government Officers choose to send their children to government schools, as parents, they will have a greater voice in how the school functions.

Meet Sumit Sattawon, Deputy Commissioner of Assam’s Lakhimpur District, who decided to enroll his 2-year-old son Ishrit into an Anganwadi Centre, a rural child care Centre for his pre-school learning.

“We are actually involved in the Anganwadi system and we know the potential of these centres. The Anganwadi is actually a very good system and there should be no second thought in anybody’s mind regarding play school. Kids are innocent and they don’t carry the weight of society. They come to know each other, sharing food, etc. The Anganwadi also has the Montessori method of teaching as it is part of the curriculum”. 

“As we are doing the monitoring, I thought once my own kid will get involved, then I’ll be knowing the functions of the system. It was the secondary thought but the primary thought is that already a well and placed system is there in which we are placing our society to put in their kids. Everything is going well so far but the school has some infrastructure issues."

“My kid is also happy in school as the government has also provided toys to play with, books and drawings are also there as good as any playschool. The voluntaries are also high-spirit. I also asked them to not provide him with any special treatment. He is also opening up a little bit and start socializing”.

“There is always a debate that why our children are joining government schools. We have to improve our system in a sustainable manner so that it becomes a natural choice for everybody. The process is going on and I have been continuously interacting with the workers for 2 and a half years”.

“In the near future, the Anganwadi will be a natural choice for everyone as the government is taking every necessary step. I have faith in the Anganwadi system in my district as we are talking to Anganwadi workers on a regular basis”. 

It is worthy to note that the Anganwadi workers in the school did not know that Ishrit is the son of the deputy commissioner of the Lakhimpur district. Sumit Sattawon is originally from Rajasthan and his incredible step of enrolling his son in an Anganwadi Centre and showing full faith in the education system is much appreciable.