Nothing special for special children in majority of Delhi schools

Updated on: Thursday, December 22, 2011

From over two lakh children with special needs in Delhi, only less than one percent are in schools, despite efforts by the government and assurance from the Prime Minister to ensure that all children get an education.

According to a survey conducted by Ashok Agarwal, advocate, adviser, Social Jurist, a group of lawyers and social activists who work for the benefit of children, 2,039 unaided recognised private schools (1,260 schools recognised by the department of education, government of NCT of Delhi and 779 MCD schools), 258 aided recognised private schools (214 aided by department of education, government of NCT of Delhi and 44 aided by MCD) in Delhi, almost all these schools do not have provisions of basic physical as well as academic infrastructure including special educators, which are required for the education of children with special needs.

The survey points out that most schools in Delhi do not have adequate infrastructure to support these children. It classifies schools in Delhi into six categories:

1- Schools which have no physical infrastructure or academic structure and no children with special needs

2- Schools that have a physical infrastructure but no academic structure and no children with special needs

3- Schools that have no physical infrastructure or academic infrastructure but have children with special needs

4- Schools which have inadequate physical infrastructure and have children with special needs but no academic infrastructure

5- Schools that have inadequate physical infrastructure but have academic infrastructure and children with special needs

6- Schools which have physical infrastructure, academic infrastructure and children with special needs.

There are many factors that hinder children with special needs from getting an education. Almost no school in Delhi has the infrastructure or learning tools to support a child with special needs. How will a ramp in a school help a hearing or a visually impaired child? A child with any kind of disability needs individual attention and most schools dont have trained special educators. We are not saying that schools should become like hospitals catering to the medical needs of a child but a basic knowledge and system of intervention is needed in schools. If a child with a disability approaches a school for admission, no one helps him/her or even provides guidance to the family. We have to be more proactive, says Agarwal.

However, practitioners say that the scenario is changing as there is more awareness now. Schools in Delhi now have become more aware about their responsibilities towards children with special needs than they were five years ago but they have to do more than just bring a child with special needs to the classroom. One also has to assess how much a child learns in the classroom, says Geet Oberoi, special educator, founder-president of Orkids, founder of Delhi Learning Disabilities Association (DLDA).

The Right to Education (RTE) Act makes it a legal requirement that every child is educated. Also under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which covers government and government-aided schools, now there are no administrative barriers. Anupriya Chaddha, chief consultant, inclusive education, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and RTE, says, Despite many provisions being made through the RTE and SSA, there is a gap when it comes to implementation. The law says that children should be provided with need-based support, which could include having an escort, one-on-one support, etc, but there are other barriers to implementation. Most parents are not even aware of the Right to Education Act. Attitudes towards children with special needs have to change. There is a need to strengthen the infrastructure, the support and manpower so that policy can be effectively implemented and children can benefit.

Courtesy: Myeducationtimes.com

Times of India

Nothing special for special children in majority of Delhi schools

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