S N Verma / New Delhi
The National Education Policy (NEP) is emphasizing the power of multilingualism and the importance of including children’s languages in primary education, as well as the vital importance of universal and high-quality early childhood education. To fulfill this vision, the Ministry of Education has launched the “Childhood Poem Initiative: Restoring Indian Poems for Young Children” to prepare a collection of nursery rhymes in Indian languages and English.
According to the Ministry of Education, the objective of this initiative is to introduce young children to the world around them through interesting and enjoyable poems in their mother tongue so that their foundations can be strengthened.
To take this initiative forward, the ministry is also organizing a competition. Participants can send existing poems prevalent in folk songs under three categories, mentioning the name of the author or newly composed enjoyable poems.
Entries are invited in all Indian languages (Bhartiya Bhasha) and also in English. It may also include regional poems that have cultural significance in the Indian context. There is no entry fee to participate. Other details of the competition can be seen on the MyGov website.