Tarabai Modak

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT

Lesson 16: Contributions of Indian philosophers to early childhood education

Contributions of Tarabai Modak (1892 – 1973) to ECE

Padmabhooshan Shrimathi Tarabai Modak was a pioneer of preschool education in India. She was born in Gujarat in 1892. She was motivated by Gijubhai Badeka’s work in preschool education. They prepared necessary literature for the trident teachers and started a training college for pre primary teachers in 1925, which proved to be first training college for pre primary teachers in India.

In 1931, the movement of preschool education was extended by Tarabai to Maharashtra. There was a criticism that preschool education was meant only for children of rich. She took that as a challenge and conducted successfully a Balwadi in a Harijanwada at Amaravathi in Maharashtra.

In 1936, she started Shishu Vihar Kendra at Bombay, which served as a centre of Pre School Educational training. In 1945, she moved to Bordi & founded Gram Bala Shiksha Kendra. Later shifted to Kosabad, tribal area in 1957, where she tried her methods on most neglected tribal children. A Balwadiindigenous nursery school. developed by Tarabai, is a type of

She started two types of Balwadi’s at Bordi. They are Central Balwadis and Angan Balwadis. The Central Balwadis were run during regular school hours. Angan Balwadi’s were started at the convenience of children.

Types of Balwadies
Central Balwadi	Angan Balwadi
Conducted for 5 hours	one and half hours
Regular school hours	convenience of the children
Fully equipped	not fully equipped
Children are brought from their homes	conducted near the houses
	Children in front of parents and elder persons

• The programme was on personal and general cleanliness, decoration, crafts & hand work, oral language, physical education, rhythmic movements & social activities.
• Teachers should make their own indigenous materials and use locally available material and also with the help of local artisans.

Tarabai’s educational method is a significant contribution to preschool education in India. Her method brought a salient revolution in the tribal community Kosabad. Tarabai Modak and Sarla Devi Sarabhai (PSE worker) were called one of the two “Montessori Mothers” as they have indianized the Montessori education and popularized it.