It was a Monday morning, and Manjula, an Anganwadi teacher at Thindlu Anganwadi 1, felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. The past weekend had been extremely busy, leaving her with no time to plan for the upcoming week’s lessons. As she stood in the classroom, she glanced at the clock—it was 9:30 AM, and the children would soon arrive, eager to learn. Panic started to set in. What should I do? How will I engage them without a plan? she wondered, feeling lost and unprepared.
Just then, a brilliant idea struck her. Why not use the Nanna Sakhi chatbot? She quickly reached for her smartphone, unlocked it, and opened the Nanna Sakhi application. Within seconds, she navigated to the chatbot feature, knowing it would help her design engaging activities instantly.
A Lesson Plan in Minutes
The weekly theme was ‘Wild Animals’, and Manjula needed to create an engaging lesson plan on the spot. She quickly interacted with the chatbot and curated a variety of activities suited to the children’s learning needs.
She selected two captivating stories—”The Rabbit and the Bird” and “The Lion and the Rat.” These stories would introduce children to different animals and their characteristics while enhancing their listening skills.
To make learning fun, she picked “Karadi Bettake Hoyitu” and “Banni Banni Makkale Kada Noda Hoguva”—two lively rhymes that would keep the children engaged through rhythm and movement.
From the Progressive Web App (PWA), she accessed an interactive activity on wild animals. This would help children identify, recognize, and learn fun facts about various animals. Another cognitive activity gave her the idea of using the animals for classification and matching. Other activities were selected similarly.
With just a few taps on her phone, Manjula assembled a full day’s lesson plan—something that would have otherwise taken much more of her time.
A Sigh of Relief and a Newfound Confidence
As she reviewed her plan, a huge sigh of relief escaped her lips. A smile spread across her face as she realized how effortlessly she had managed to organize a structured learning experience for the children. This technology has made my work so much easier! she thought to herself. It was quick, reliable, and incredibly useful—a true companion for teachers like her.
Manjula is just one of many teachers in the Yelahanka project who use the Nanna Sakhi- a application to plan their lessons. With minimal formal training in structuring classroom activities, most Anganwadi teachers often struggle with daily lesson planning. However, with Nanna Sakhi’s chatbot and repository of learning resources, they now feel supported, better equipped and empowered to provide quality education to young children.
“This app has truly transformed my teaching experience,” Manjula shared enthusiastically. “I no longer have to stress over lesson planning—it’s like having a mentor by my side, guiding me every step of the way!”
How did this app get created!!
Prajayatna, a national-level organization dedicated to education reform, has been actively working to improve early childhood care and education (ECCE) in underserved communities. A key innovation in this journey has been the Nanna Sakhi (My Friend) Application, developed in collaboration with EkStep Foundation, Amazon Web Services and Tekdi Technologies Pvt. Ltd., as part of the Joint Innovation Centre (JIC) initiative. This cutting-edge digital tool is designed to empower Anganwadi teachers by providing them with real time access to learning resources and classroom activity planning tools.
The Nanna Sakhi Application: Transforming Teaching and Learning
The Nanna Sakhi application is a user-friendly digital platform that enables Anganwadi teachers to plan and execute engaging learning experiences for young children. The app consists of three core features:
- Nanna Sakhi Portal (Progressive Web App – PWA)
The portal serves as a centralized hub for a wide array of educational resources designed for preschool education. These include:
- Stories: Engaging and interactive stories that foster creativity and language development.
- Rhymes/Songs: A collection of age-appropriate songs and rhymes that support language development.
- Activities: Hands-on learning activities designed to develop cognitive, physical, and sensorial skills.
- Handbooks: Policy documents and reference materials such as Chili Pili+, LKG-UKG handbooks and Prajayatna’s educational materials.
These resources are easily accessible, allowing teachers to customize their lesson plans based on classroom needs and student engagement.
- Chatbot: AI-Powered Assistance
The Chatbot feature provides instant guidance and learning activity recommendations. Teachers can:
- Ask questions about classroom activities.
- Get immediate suggestions for lesson plans.
- Receive assistance in real-time to improve their teaching methodology.
This AI-powered feature ensures that teachers can quickly find innovative ideas and structure their classes effectively, even when they have limited time for planning.
- Nanna Pettige: Organizing Learning Resources
Nanna Pettige, meaning ‘My Learning Box,’ allows teachers to:
- Create personalized folders for different subjects and activities.
- Store selected resources such as stories, rhymes, and lesson plans for future use.
- Easily access pre-planned content for structured and well-organized lessons.
This feature enables teachers to systematically prepare their lessons, ensuring a seamless learning experience for children.
Teacher Testimonials: Real Stories of Impact
The Nanna Sakhi application has been piloted with 137 Anganwadi teachers, many of whom have expressed their appreciation for the app’s ease of use and effectiveness in classroom planning. Here are a few inspiring stories:
Manjula, Raghavendra Colony Anganwadi
A dedicated teacher from Raghavendra Colony, Manjula uses the Nanna Sakhi portal and YouTube integration to plan her classroom activities. She particularly appreciates the Nanna Pettige feature, which allows her to create organized folders for upcoming lessons. Recently, for the ‘Animal Kingdom’ topic, she gathered hands-on resources that made learning fun and interactive for her students. She highlights how the application has significantly streamlined her workflow, saving time while enhancing the children’s learning experiences.
Vani, Abbigere Anganwadi Centre
Vani, a passionate educator, was eager to explore the Nanna Sakhi application when it was introduced. Every day, she logs into the Nanna Sakhi portal, selects relevant learning activities, and stores them in her Nanna Pettige folders. This organized approach allows her to efficiently execute lessons and incorporate engaging activities. Vani credits the application for sparking creativity in her teaching, giving her fresh ideas that she may not have considered otherwise.
Challenges in using technology
This is not to say that there are no challenges in the usage of technology in ECCE/ Anganwadi. Some of them are-
- With the anganwadis being located at times in places where there is low coverage, teachers find it difficult to access internet.
- At times, the teachers do not have the patience to wait if there is a problem with the app or some technical glitch and they give up easily.
- The teachers who are older and not very tech-savvy, at times find it difficult to type or even use the voice recorder to key in their query or to navigate between the folders, etc.
A Step Towards the Future of Early Childhood Education
The Nanna Sakhi application has proven to be a game-changer for Anganwadi teachers, providing them with essential resources and guidance to enhance classroom engagement and teaching quality. Many teachers have expressed their satisfaction with the app, emphasizing how it serves as a mentor and guide, particularly for those who have received little to no formal training in lesson planning.
By leveraging technology, Prajayatna is not only empowering teachers but also creating a positive impact on early childhood education, ensuring that children receive a stimulating and well-structured learning experience.
The success of Nanna Sakhi during the pilot highlights the potential for scaling this initiative across more centres.
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