Odisha has taken steps to bring pre-primary education into government schools, but a key question remains over who will provide dedicated classroom teaching to the youngest children.
Shishu Vatika was introduced in government primary schools from the 2025-26 academic year as part of the state’s implementation of the National Education Policy 2020. The programme is aimed at children aged five to six, giving them a year of pre-school education before they enter Class I.
The scale is significant. Shishu Vatika has been introduced across around 45,000 government primary schools, with more than 3.1 lakh children enrolled during its first year, according to reports on the programme.
For a five-year-old child, the first year of school can shape how they respond to classrooms, teachers and learning for years afterwards. At that age, education involves much more than making children sit through lessons. They need attention, language development, activities, basic social interaction and an environment that helps them become comfortable with formal schooling.
Odisha has already created a support system through Shishu Sevikas. A government notification provides for their engagement in government schools having Shishu Vatika, subject to prescribed enrolment strength. Their role is intended to provide additional support to young children, with an approved honorarium of ₹3,000 per month.
But a childcare assistant and a trained classroom teacher serve different purposes. As Shishu Vatika expands, the quality of teaching available to these children becomes an important part of whether the programme can achieve its stated goal of strengthening foundational learning.
This is where the reported figure of 7,234 teacher posts needs particular caution.
A letter circulated in July claimed that the Finance Department had approved the creation and engagement of 7,234 Shishu Vatika teacher posts under OSEPA, with a monthly remuneration of ₹26,200. The document quickly generated interest among job seekers across Odisha.
The government subsequently issued a clarification saying the letter was forged and unauthorised. It specifically stated that no such proposal had been approved by the Finance Department and no approval had been issued by the competent authority for creation or engagement of 7,234 teachers through that document. The government also said the matter had been referred for legal action.
That episode is important for another reason. Thousands of young people looking for teaching jobs were exposed to information that appeared to carry the authority of a government order. For candidates preparing for competitive recruitment, even an unverified announcement can mean time, money and expectations.
The larger question, however, goes beyond a recruitment number.
If Odisha wants Shishu Vatika to become a strong foundation for government-school education, the state needs to clearly define who will teach these children, what qualifications those teachers will need, how many teachers are actually required and how the staffing pattern will work across nearly 45,000 schools.
The state has already recognised the need for additional support in these classrooms. The official notification creating the Shishu Sevika arrangement said the move was intended to provide better support to primary-grade teachers and improve learning outcomes for pre-school children.
That makes staffing a central part of the programme rather than a separate employment issue.
For parents in rural Odisha, especially families that depend on government schools, the question is simple: when their five-year-old enters Shishu Vatika, who will be there every day to teach, guide and care for the child?
For teachers and job aspirants, another question matters just as much: if the government eventually creates dedicated Shishu Vatika teaching posts, when will the official recruitment rules, qualifications, vacancies and selection process be published?
Those answers should come through an authentic government notification rather than social-media messages or circulated letters.
The state has already invested in building the Shishu Vatika framework. OSEPA’s current website continues to show procurement and implementation activities related to Shishu Vatika for the 2026-27 academic year.
The next stage should be equally clear: proper staffing, transparent recruitment and a system that gives young children the attention they need at the very beginning of their schooling.
For Odisha’s youngest students, the real measure of Shishu Vatika will eventually be found inside the classroom in how many children have a teacher to guide them, how regularly that teacher is available and whether those first years of learning give them a stronger start.
And for the thousands of people hoping to become those teachers, the only announcement that should matter is the one officially issued by the government.
