‘Mission Prerna’: Suresh Raina lends support to Uttar Pradesh govt’s early childhood learning initiative

Cricketer Suresh Raina, along with the Gracia Raina Foundation (co-founded by him and his wife Priyanka Raina) have endorsed ‘Mission Prerna’ – Uttar Pradesh government’s early childhood learning initiative.

The ‘Mission Prerna’ initiative has been launched by the Yogi Adityanath government to ensure strong foundational learning for children across the state.

The cricketer shared stories from his childhood as well as his parenthood to encourage parents to support their child’s early learning at home.

एक बच्चे के पहले 8-10 वर्ष मनोवैज्ञानिक एवं संज्ञानात्मक विकास के लिए महत्वपूर्ण है उनके समग्र विकास के लिए माता पिता के साथ बिताया समय सबसे महत्वपूर्ण होता है @ImRaina भी यह विश्वास करते है और सभी अभिभावकों सन्देश को देना चाहते है @UPGovt #MissionPrerna#foundationalLearning pic.twitter.com/nDJiQ4MQYZ

— Department Of Basic Education Uttar Pradesh (@basicshiksha_up) December 18, 2020

Talking about his parents’ crucial role in his childhood, Raina says, “My parents always believed that to succeed in any field, it is important to begin early. Hence, they ensured that I started my cricket training at a young age. I soon developed a disciplined routine of training in the morning, followed by studies in the evening, which ultimately helped me to realise my dreams.”

Emphasizing on the importance of his parents’ support, particularly in the early years, Raina further added, “In addition to my coaching, had I not received that support and help from my parents in the beginning, I would not have made it big.”

UP plans medical colleges in every district, CM Yogi Adityanath woos investment from diaspora

Now, as a father himself, Suresh Raina says he is determined to provide the same support to his two children and calls for other parents to follow suit. “Even though both my children are quite young, this is the correct age to begin learning fundamental skills. My wife and I have become their teachers at home and started to teach them basic skills like speaking, reading, counting, identifying colours and so on, to help their mental and physical development,” Raina says.

Talking about his and his wife’s involvement in the initiative, Raina adds, “We are both members of ‘Mission Prerna’ as it helps both parents and teachers to educate their children and students. The initiative provides access to various engaging and entertaining educational programmes available across various mediums be it mobile phones, television, or radio. I urge all parents to join the initiative and become ‘ghar ke teachers’.”

Delighted to share that @grfCare is to be a part of #MissionPrerna led by @UPGovt aimed at providing better education to children with the help of parents and teachers. Here is Our founder @ImRaina giving insights.#MissionPrerna #epathshala #FoundationalLearning #MainHoonTeacher pic.twitter.com/waAviM0Ebp

— Gracia Raina Foundation (@grfCare) December 21, 2020

‘Mission Prerna’ is the flagship programme of the Uttar Pradesh government to improve quality of education with a focus on foundational learning skills which children often learn best at an early age, with parental intervention. These skills entail children’s ability to read with comprehension and do basic math calculations, which forms the basis of all their future learning. The initiative encourages parents to join the movement and start teaching their children at home to give them a stronger foundation.