Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Disabled children need our attention) that was published in Newsband

Disabled children need our attention

The report of the Sergeant Commission on Post-War Education Development in India (1944) and the DS Kothari Commission (1964) mooted the idea of inclusive education. Subsequently, the National Education Policy (1986), the Programme of Action (1992), the People with Disability Act, 1995, and recently the Right to Education Act, 2010, stressed upon the need for inclusive education and rights of disabled students to be taught in an environment that is made suitable to their needs.

The Sarva Siksha Abhiyan has enforced a 'zero-rejection policy' in admission of such children in mainstream schools and even has the provision of a grant of Rs. 1,200 per child per annum. The Central Board of Secondary Education has also made it clear that no disabled child should be denied admission in mainstream schools and underlines the provision for a special educator in each school with individualised evaluation programmes with specific goals to be set up for each child. It also advocates taking stringent action to the extent of disaffiliation if schools fail to provide attention to children with special needs or deny them admission. Besides, India has also ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) on the issue of providing inclusive education in its education plan.

The autistic children in particular can benefit tremendously from inclusive education. Many of them do attend mainstream schools but find it difficult to understand their teachers, cope with their studies or make friends. To make matters worse, they are bullied and teased by their peers and scolded by teachers and ultimately 'forced' to leave the schools. Most schools do not even have the provision for a special educator. No efforts have been made to implement inclusive education effectively.

It’s not enough to make rules relating to inclusive education. These rules should be implemented. It’s true that the ministry that handles the education sector and the one that looks after the needs of disabled persons gives grants to NGOs running special schools. But that is not enough. There should also be an agency to monitor the implementation and progress of government policies in schools. Unfortunately, many government and central schools do not have special educators.

Until we have an effective implementation programme, many disabled children will continue being deprived of academic education and social justice.