An Indian Administrative Service officer has sparked a national conversation on public education after enrolling his three-year-old daughter in a government-run Anganwadi centre.
Pulkit Garg, the District Magistrate of Chitrakoot, said the decision reflected his confidence in the improved quality of India’s public education system. Garg enrolled his daughter, Siya, at a local Anganwadi, a move that drew widespread attention after a video of the child playing at the centre went viral on social media.
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, Garg said that government institutions were no longer in the state they once were. He noted that the quality of education had improved consistently and that there was no longer a lack of basic resources. He added that if an IAS officer could educate his child in a government institution, ordinary parents should not hesitate to do the same.
Calling for a broader shift in mindset, Garg urged both parents and officials to overcome long-standing social bias against public institutions. He said that systems only grow stronger when citizens place their trust in them.
While many praised the move as a powerful statement in support of government education, others expressed scepticism online. Some urged caution, saying that individual examples should not overshadow the need for sustained improvements across public schools and childcare centres.
Anganwadis are government-run early childhood centres operating under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme. They provide nutrition, pre-school education, basic healthcare and early learning support for children under six, along with services for pregnant and nursing mothers.
Garg’s decision has renewed debate on faith in public systems and whether personal choices by senior officials can help rebuild confidence in state-run education at the grassroots level.
