Challenge of the challenged
Source: By Prudrashis Datta: The Statesman
A key indicator of the progress of civilization is the way in which it treats the physically and mentally challenged section of the population. They are often rather routinely considered as unproductive and a burden on their dependants. Their care becomes all the more difficult because of the lack of awareness in society as a whole. In most economically developing countries, education is regarded as an investment; the education of a challenged child is often relegated to the neglected corners of our collective consciousness. The general perception is that since the child requiring special care may not be in a position to contribute in the manner another child does, his or her education need not be accorded priority. This has been the thought-process almost all over the world barring a few countries which have developed the socio-cultural and legal mechanism of dealing with such children.
The census figures of 2001 provide alarming data on the number of persons with disabilities. Their population is around 219 lakh, and if a fair distribution is made in accordance with various age-groups, it can be safely assumed that at least a quarter of them are juveniles in different stages of school education. The recently-concluded census is sure to add significantly to the number of juveniles who are disabled.
The history of special education in India is barely a few decades’ old. Prior to independence, only a handful of charitable organizations ran institutions to educate the disabled. It was only with the National Policy of Education, 1986, that the government eventually realised the magnitude of the problem of educating challenged children. The NPE recommendations highlighted four critical issues, specifically education of children with mild disabilities may be imparted in normal schools; children with severe disabilities may be educated in special schools to be set up at district headquarters; initiation of specialized teacher-training programmes for special children; and encouraging voluntary efforts to ensure inclusive education of the challenged children. While policy-makers the world over have responded to the concept of inclusive education, we have lagged behind significantly in accommodating challenged children in our schools.
Currently, India has only three institutions that offer graduate-level teacher training programmes for special educators. The number of trained teachers passing out of such institutions does not exceed 1000 a year. This is hopelessly inadequate considering the actual number that is required for schools across the country. Though the Government of India has set up four national-level institutions to effectively implement its schemes for persons with disabilities ~ each catering to the visually handicapped, hearing impaired, orthopedically challenged and mentally impaired ~ precious little has been done in the recent past to deal with the education of children with special needs.
The fact that neglect of education of such children can have serious consequences was highlighted at the Salamanca conference on Special Needs Education in 1994. It was conducted by UNESCO. The proceedings underlined the importance of budgetary priority in ensuring inclusive education of the disabled in schools; encourage parents in participatory special education; and put in greater effort in early identification and management of education of the challenged. Regretfully, India has been lagging behind in all the three crucial parameters. There are no laws that can govern the right of physically challenged children to get admitted to a school of their choice and no laws to compel a school to admit a child with manageable disability. Second, parents of such children have no effective platform to learn the art of scientific handling of their children in ordinary circumstances, let alone the sphere of education. The majority of disabled children come from the poorer sections of society; yet we hardly have an early identification system whereby disabilities can be handled and controlled before they go out of control.
In the absence of an effective government mechanism, parents of disabled children are left to fend for themselves both with regard to their medical management and education as well as their rehabilitation. This is in sharp contrast to the United Kingdom where the Special Education Needs and Disability Act was passed in 2001. It ensures that special needs education programmes are conducted in the mainstream schools. Should a special school be required, the parents are informed and counselled accordingly. Similar provisions have been made in the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of the USA, passed in 1975. The fact that we have lagged far behind is evident from the recently concluded survey of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous body under the HRD ministry. It points to an alarming neglect of special education.
According to the survey, 99 per cent of the disabled children prefer attending regular schools and 88 per cent of school teachers are not trained to understand the special needs of such children. The survey pointed out that the centrally-sponsored Inclusive Education of the Disabled at the Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme has faltered in many states and union territories due to public apathy and lack of funding. With the operating environment for charitable organizations and NGOs being less than friendly, it is apparent that without urgent government intervention by way of stronger governing laws and adequate funding, millions of disabled children shall not see the light of education.
We have just put in place a tentative first step in this regard through the draft Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, which has a section on the “special needs education”. The proposal to make it compulsory for all government-funded institutions to admit and make special arrangements can be a good beginning, albeit belated. However, the crucial issue of state funding and better infrastructure is yet to be addressed. Unless this is tackled urgently, we shall be individually and collectively responsible for consigning the disabled children to a painful existence of apathy and neglect. This is a moral baggage that can weigh heavily on us as a nation as we struggle to bring inclusive education to the doors of millions of children.
A key indicator of the progress of civilization is the way in which it treats the physically and mentally challenged section of the population. They are often rather routinely considered as unproductive and a burden on their dependants. Their care becomes all the more difficult because of the lack of awareness in society as a whole. In most economically developing countries, education is regarded as an investment; the education of a challenged child is often relegated to the neglected corners of our collective consciousness. The general perception is that since the child requiring special care may not be in a position to contribute in the manner another child does, his or her education need not be accorded priority. This has been the thought-process almost all over the world barring a few countries which have developed the socio-cultural and legal mechanism of dealing with such children.
The census figures of 2001 provide alarming data on the number of persons with disabilities. Their population is around 219 lakh, and if a fair distribution is made in accordance with various age-groups, it can be safely assumed that at least a quarter of them are juveniles in different stages of school education. The recently-concluded census is sure to add significantly to the number of juveniles who are disabled.
The history of special education in India is barely a few decades’ old. Prior to independence, only a handful of charitable organizations ran institutions to educate the disabled. It was only with the National Policy of Education, 1986, that the government eventually realised the magnitude of the problem of educating challenged children. The NPE recommendations highlighted four critical issues, specifically education of children with mild disabilities may be imparted in normal schools; children with severe disabilities may be educated in special schools to be set up at district headquarters; initiation of specialized teacher-training programmes for special children; and encouraging voluntary efforts to ensure inclusive education of the challenged children. While policy-makers the world over have responded to the concept of inclusive education, we have lagged behind significantly in accommodating challenged children in our schools.
Currently, India has only three institutions that offer graduate-level teacher training programmes for special educators. The number of trained teachers passing out of such institutions does not exceed 1000 a year. This is hopelessly inadequate considering the actual number that is required for schools across the country. Though the Government of India has set up four national-level institutions to effectively implement its schemes for persons with disabilities ~ each catering to the visually handicapped, hearing impaired, orthopedically challenged and mentally impaired ~ precious little has been done in the recent past to deal with the education of children with special needs.
The fact that neglect of education of such children can have serious consequences was highlighted at the Salamanca conference on Special Needs Education in 1994. It was conducted by UNESCO. The proceedings underlined the importance of budgetary priority in ensuring inclusive education of the disabled in schools; encourage parents in participatory special education; and put in greater effort in early identification and management of education of the challenged. Regretfully, India has been lagging behind in all the three crucial parameters. There are no laws that can govern the right of physically challenged children to get admitted to a school of their choice and no laws to compel a school to admit a child with manageable disability. Second, parents of such children have no effective platform to learn the art of scientific handling of their children in ordinary circumstances, let alone the sphere of education. The majority of disabled children come from the poorer sections of society; yet we hardly have an early identification system whereby disabilities can be handled and controlled before they go out of control.
In the absence of an effective government mechanism, parents of disabled children are left to fend for themselves both with regard to their medical management and education as well as their rehabilitation. This is in sharp contrast to the United Kingdom where the Special Education Needs and Disability Act was passed in 2001. It ensures that special needs education programmes are conducted in the mainstream schools. Should a special school be required, the parents are informed and counselled accordingly. Similar provisions have been made in the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of the USA, passed in 1975. The fact that we have lagged far behind is evident from the recently concluded survey of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an autonomous body under the HRD ministry. It points to an alarming neglect of special education.
According to the survey, 99 per cent of the disabled children prefer attending regular schools and 88 per cent of school teachers are not trained to understand the special needs of such children. The survey pointed out that the centrally-sponsored Inclusive Education of the Disabled at the Secondary Stage (IEDSS) scheme has faltered in many states and union territories due to public apathy and lack of funding. With the operating environment for charitable organizations and NGOs being less than friendly, it is apparent that without urgent government intervention by way of stronger governing laws and adequate funding, millions of disabled children shall not see the light of education.
We have just put in place a tentative first step in this regard through the draft Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, which has a section on the “special needs education”. The proposal to make it compulsory for all government-funded institutions to admit and make special arrangements can be a good beginning, albeit belated. However, the crucial issue of state funding and better infrastructure is yet to be addressed. Unless this is tackled urgently, we shall be individually and collectively responsible for consigning the disabled children to a painful existence of apathy and neglect. This is a moral baggage that can weigh heavily on us as a nation as we struggle to bring inclusive education to the doors of millions of children.
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