Early education on fragile ground: rethinking preschool teacher training

This study critically examines the professional development of early childhood educators working within the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), one of the world's largest public sector early childhood programmes. The study is structured in two phases. Phase 1 involved a field survey of 60 Anganwadi Workers, preschool educators under the ICDS, revealing significant deficiencies in their professional development. Building on these insights, Phase 2 entailed a qualitative analysis of 130 feedback forms on in-service training programmes for Anganwadi Workers. A thematic analysis of the feedback identified three key issues: neglect of the preschool education component in training, issues in training delivery, and inadequate training duration and frequency. This paper argues for the urgent need for strategic policy interventions to enhance training quality by situating these findings within global discourses while offering insights into scalable solutions for strengthening early childhood programmes worldwide to ensure better developmental outcomes for young children.