NEP-Aligned Shishu Vatikas To Open In Odisha With ‘Khadi Chhuan’ & ‘Pravesh Utsav’

Representative Picture/Courtesy: Vidya Bharati Delhi

Bhubaneswar: A day after commencement of 2025-26 academic year, ‘Shishu Vatika’ will open in all primary schools in Odisha on April 2 with a massive statewide ‘Pravesh Utsav’ and ‘Khadi Chhuan’ programme. 

Parents, elected representatives, senior officials and civil society members will participate.

In January, the Odisha government had announced plans to introduce Sishu Vatikas, a pre-school programme that follows the national Bal Vatika model beginning April, as part of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the state’s school education system. Children in the age group of 5-6 years will be admitted for pre-school education.

Chief Minister Mohan Mjahi will distribute ‘Nimantrana Patra’ during March 17-19 to families of the children, who would be attending ‘Shishu Vatika’ and ‘Class-l’ to highlight the significance of the programme.

Each school will feature three dedicated learning stations—Literacy Station, Numeracy Station, and Creativity Station. “Children along with their parents will explore these stations and engage in joyful learning,” an official notification issued to all Collectors on March 5 said.

On April 2, Shiksha Sachetanata Ratha will also be flagged off at each block.

Following this, the school-level programmes will be conducted from April 3 to 5, for identifying out-of-school children and enrolling them in age-appropriate classes.

The classes will be held from 10 am to 4 pm. The Shishu Vatika students will be provided with a learning kit, which would include a school bag and stationery.