Integrated child development services: an evaluation

The recent National Policy on Education and the consequent Programme of Action brought out by the Government of India recog nises some significant parameters of the quality of life like infant mortality rate, incidence of malnutrition, morbidity picture and the literacy rate. To enhance the quality of life and the need for developing children from early child hood many schemes were launched, one such being Integrated Child Development Services Scheme. The current Policy of Education proposes to strengthen the scheme by providing sufficient material inputs and training for trainers and linking up ICDS with Formal Primary Schools. But every scheme suffers from certain flaws.

The thrust of this study is to evaluate the intermediate supervision in ICDS projects since this aspect is vital to effective implementation to the programme.

The current study spread over different regions of Karnataka, viz., Coastal, Malnad, Northern and Southern Maidan, highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the supervisors of ICDS in discharging their duties efficiently and effectively. It offers, on the basis of empirical data, measures to overcome some of the existing data, measures to overcome some of the exist ing lacunae to see that the ICDS scheme can be developed on the lines of the Programme of Action outlined by the Government of India.