CBSE wants panel for special children

Gurvinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 31

Providing relief to many children with special needs and their parents who feel that mainstream schools do not offer suitable environment for differently-abled children, Central Board of Secondary Education asked schools to form inclusion committees affiliated with the board.

These committees will ensure that children with special needs get admission to schools and such students should be identified and looked after according to their requirements for active participation in schools. The committee will comprise of school counsellor, special educators, teachers’ representative and principal of the school. The committee is also expected to promote inclusive education at school level and neighbourhood and would also address the issues related to admission, curriculum transaction, exemption in examination and all other issues to safeguard the interest of children with special needs.

Dr Neelam Sodhi from Ashirwad, an NGO, said it is a good move for CBSE to have an inclusion committee and have special educators, but a representative of parents should also be included in the committee. Information regarding children with special needs has been circulated earlier as well, but these instructions should be well implemented, she said. “The board must ensure the admission of these children under Right to Eduation,” she added. Another area of concern is the availability of special educators. The government and CBSE must take an initiative to have a pool of large pool of special educators for proper implementation of such regulations, she said.

“The instructions by the board have been more streamlined in regard to inclusive education, said Paramjit Kaur, principal, BCM Arya Model School, Shastri Nagar. “We already have special educators in our school. A differently-abled child was admitted in school in nursery and presently pursuing Class X,” said Kaur.

Mona Singh, principal, Guru Nanak Public School, said the board has been suggesting steps earlier as well, for formation of a formal committee to look after the children with special needs would make things much better. “If special provisions are made by school for special children, they can perform very well. A visually impaired child in our school Gurbax Singh did very well scoring CGPA 9.6. Formation of formal inclusion committee is a good initiative of the board,” said Singh.

Harmeet Kaur Waraich, principal, Nankana Sahib Public School said now schools for children with special needs are supposed to be closed as per regulations and all the children have to be admitted to mainstream schools. Such schools in national capital region are already closing down. It is against law to ask for medical fitness certificate of children at the time of admission. Such a refresher course to sensitise principals about the need for inclusive education and having special educators and cousellors in schools was held last month by NCERT. CBSE must ensure the implementation of these regulations, she said.