Anganwadi centre in Melaghar runs without a regular teacher for four months, disrupting pre-school education in Dasrathbari ADC Village. Villagers demand urgent intervention from the Social Welfare Department to restore normal services and protect children’s learning.
An anganwadi centre in Melaghar has been functioning without a regular teacher for the past four months, raising serious concerns about the quality of early childhood education in the area. The prolonged vacancy has reportedly disrupted academic and developmental activities meant for children enrolled at the centre.
The issue has surfaced from Madhucharan Para in Dasrathbari ADC Village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Melaghar Police Station. According to local residents, two anganwadi centres operate within a radius of approximately one kilometre — one at Madhucharan Para and another at Pal Para.
Villagers alleged that the Banka Bari anganwadi centre has remained without a permanent anganwadi worker for nearly four months. They attributed the situation to what they described as an administrative lapse by the Social Welfare and Social Education Department. The prolonged absence of a dedicated worker has left children without consistent supervision, structured learning, and routine pre-school activities.
In an attempt to manage the situation, the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) office in Melaghar reportedly assigned Pushparani Debnath, the anganwadi worker from the Pal Para centre, to oversee operations at both centres. However, locals argue that the arrangement is neither practical nor sustainable.
Managing two anganwadi centres located about one kilometre apart has reportedly created significant logistical challenges. Residents claim that the dual responsibility has made it nearly impossible for the assigned worker to conduct regular classes, maintain records, and ensure proper nutrition and health monitoring services for children at both locations.
“One person cannot effectively run two anganwadi centres in a single day. The children’s learning process is bound to suffer,” a concerned villager said, expressing frustration over the ongoing situation.
Anganwadi centres play a crucial role in delivering early childhood education, supplementary nutrition, and health awareness under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) framework. Any disruption in staffing directly affects foundational learning and overall child development, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.
Parents in the locality fear that continued administrative delay in appointing a regular worker may cause long-term setbacks in children’s cognitive and social development. They stressed that anganwadi centres are often the first formal learning environment for children, making consistent staffing essential.
Attempts to reach officials of the Social Welfare and Social Education Department for comments on the matter were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
Villagers have now urged the department to expedite the recruitment or transfer process and appoint a full-time anganwadi worker at the Banka Bari centre without further delay. They emphasized that uninterrupted services are vital to safeguarding the educational and developmental rights of children in the area.
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As the vacancy stretches into its fifth month, residents continue to wait for swift administrative action to restore normal functioning and ensure that young learners do not bear the brunt of bureaucratic inefficiency.
