A world of difference in India

So far we’ve visited four fantastically varied early years settings in India, but common to all are families’ desire to give their children the best education they can, as well as motivated staff teams keen to do their best. 

Our first visit was to a Podar Jumbo Kids nursery serving an affluent part of Mumbai. Podar sessional kindergarten and full daycare settings now number 320. They use the EYFS and cite the Reggio Emilia and High Scope approaches as other influences. The building is large and well equipped with computer games and a sensory room forming part of the provision.

Within a couple of hours of leaving Podar we had entered a different world – a Government primary school and nursery in a slum area and now run by NGO Young United Foundation. Here, founder Asif Sheikh is trying to place a greater emphasis on stories, creativity and sport in order to play to children’s strengths, empower girls and enable all children to continue their education. Three of the seven-year-old girls that we met are skilled wrestlers. After the visit we were able to visit the home of one of the school boys - a two-storey, two-room slum dwelling with each room little more than six feet square and home to a family of four.