Smart classrooms for kids with special needs

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 22

Pushing for digital transformation of learning for children with special needs, the Pehal Resource Centre, the only government-run school for children with disabilities, has now begun smart classes for its students. The school in Karampura has been working on reforming its faculty and infrastructure since one year and has recently set up smart classrooms on its premises.

The school has 127 students in its current session and runs academic as well as vocational courses. Running its smart classes equipped with projectors, listening labs, computer labs, tablets and smartphones, the school had also organised a workshop for faculty training in digital learning softwares for CWSN. “The reforms began during the pandemic, when we had to face challenges in imparting online learning for our students, given their limitations. We have now set up a smart classroom, distributed smartphones to our students through a Centre-State collaboration project where we developed smartphones with speaking and recording softwares for students with visual impairment. We have also trained our faculty in preparing lesson plans in sign language, who record them and share it with students with hearing disability. Our students have been using these smartphones and tablets for learning,” informed Dharminder Gill, coordinator, Pehal Resource Centre.

The school also received funds for more infrastructural upgrades. “The department grants up to Rs6 lakh for upgrading smart classes in schools. We have received 25,000 for customised furniture and other equipment alone. Now, we are looking to add to our library,” he said. The school has also been sharing recorded lectures for students with intellectual disabilities.