Team Herald
MARGAO: Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) recommended that the Directorate of Education strengthen inclusive education wherein students with disabilities get the much-deserved access to a local school as all their peers.
According to GSCPCR, full inclusion is possible with the right funding and creating an enabling environment.
The Commission had recently invited several State agencies for deliberation at the Conference Hall, Secretariat, Porvorim, which included the Directorate of Education (DoE), District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs), Institute for Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Goa Medical College, State Family Welfare Bureau, Directorate of Social Welfare, State Commission for Disabilities and Sangath.
Peter F Borges, GSCPCR Chairperson called for significant investment, proactive and innovative thinking and a policy framework that will endure across the government.
GSCPCR called upon DoE to initiate Educational Monitoring Information System for children with disabilities which will capture geographical location, types of disabilities, educational needs, proximity to facilities and other indicators to enable and plan for inclusive education.
This will help identify barriers, plan for more facilities and avoid such instances where the children with disabilities face mental trauma of being made to wait or denied admission.
The child rights body called for early intervention, which, it stated, was the best way to support the development and well-being of children with disability, autism or other additional needs, including developmental delay.
It observed that it cannot only help children develop the skills they need to take part in everyday activities but that sometimes children who get early intervention need less or no support as they get older.
Borges added that the Directorate of Education must ensure concentrated early intervention drive in collaboration through Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) in collaboration collaboration with, DEICs, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres and other school readiness programmes.
He also recommended that DoE conducts access audits and ensure barrier-free environment, accessible buildings, classrooms, drinking water, toilets, playgrounds, laboratories, libraries, accessibility in terms of ramps with railings, colour contrast of blackboards for the visually-impaired, enhancing acoustics through classroom designing and use of appropriate materials.
The has GSCPCR suggested capacity-building programmes to ensure continued development of skills and confidence of teachers and support staff in meeting the diverse range of children’s needs, as a trained and motivated system is at the heart of effective inclusion, translating policy into practice.
The Commission has asked DoE to issue a circular to schools to initiate disability certification at DEICs in the elementary section at the age of eight onwards for learning disabilities and slow learners and for intellectual disability before the age of 5.
Further, it recommended that DoE should change the time of submission of certificates in 10th standard from the current 9 and to 8th standard.
“It should be communicated to schools that certification should not be seen for educational benefits and exemption, but to improve development through integrating family support, health, and nutrition services,” said Borges