Renovated creche welcomes kids at Mandoli Jail as it reopens

New Delhi: Wearing fresh uniforms, young kids looked excitedly at their newly renovated creche at the Mandoli women’s prison here when it reopened after a long hiatus imposed due to COVID-19. Dropped off by their mothers at 9 am, the little ones are eager to meet their friends and teacher after a long time and they are as enthusiastic about playing with new toys at the crechecum-playschool which was set up when the prison was established in 2017.

Officials at Mandoli Jail no 16 said that as coronavirus cases came down and restrictions were removed in the outside world, the prison authorities also decided to open the creche again for children. They said that all activities were suspended in the prison earlier due to the pandemic, and even NGOs and welfare organisations were not allowed access. This impacted the youngsters as they could not attend their classes, the officials said.

When PTI visited the play school, the kids danced with their friends as a music system blared out their favourite songs and animatedly introduced themselves to this correspondent. They pointed out their toys, two of which they have named “Patlu” and “Moto”.

The tworoom creche is painted in bright, welcoming colours and walls are adorned with vivid paintings and posters in a stark contrast to the rest of the jail premises, where the mothers of these children are inmates.

The officials said this was part of the new renovation carried out by the BYPL, which also provided 10 cots and new toys for all the 10 children who are part of it. Sandeep Goel, Director General (Delhi Prisons) said, “We try to provide a positive and free environment to the children living in this jail, along with their mothers who are inmates here.

The creche provides them a learning and play area.” The officer said that once these children are six years of age and have to leave jail, they are sent to educational institutions with the help of NGOs or through the order of the Juvenile Justice Board.

The jail officials said children in the age group 2-6 years attend the playschool where they are taught a special curriculum set up by an NGO run by former Puducherry lieutenant governor (LG) Kiran Bedi, India Vision Foundation.

The curriculum known as ‘Nanni Pari’ is a holistic course structure which involves physical, mental, socio-emotional and creative activities that focus on training children in language right from the beginning, they said.

They spend the day learning new things using play tools. From plays to rhymes and poems to alphabets in Hindi and English, they are trained by inmates who work in shifts. They also have a number of colouring books and slides. The creche closes at 4 pm.

Students are provided five pairs of uniform for each day of their classes from Monday to Friday, the officials said, adding that their uniforms are washed on the same day to maintain hygiene. The children are provided a healthy diet which is rich in proteins and includes fruits, sprouts along with seasonal vegetables.