Five years ago when Kanta Bhardwaj, a 33-year-old resident of Hamidpur, was told that her son would never be on par with other children, she said she left the hospital feeling “hopeless.” Her eleven-year-old was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. While Bhardwaj tried to teach him alphabets and numbers in the subsequent years, she said it has been challenging for them.
Earlier this year, the state education department reached out to us to enrol our child for their home-based education plan. Interacting with the resource person has helped us in many ways. The teacher shared resource material that keeps our child engaged and also spoke to us about how we can teach him or interact with him,” she said.
Last year, the directorate of education’s (DoE) inclusive education branch rolled out a home-based education plan for 251 of the 649 children with special needs, who are not enrolled in formal schooling due to their disability or other reasons. The department allotted resource persons to each child and was responsible for screening the children for 21 disabilities as given in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016. The special educators also conducted skill-based and academic assessments to develop individualized education plan as per the needs and requirements of the children between January-February this year.
Following a fresh round of survey that is set to end this month, the department is now planning to extend the programme to all out-of-school children with special needs so that those who cannot come to school can continue home-based education.
A senior official in the inclusive education branch of the education department said it is the first time that the department has rolled out such a plan. “The idea is to help these children learn basic tasks and routine activities such as brushing, eating, wearing clothes, and using washroom, and then focus on basic reading and writing. The concerned resource persons will also help enrol these children in government or open schools based on their learning levels and upon completion of the intervention. We also plan to help these children learn some skills or vocation if they express the desire and inclination to do so.”
Facebook comments