Bhubaneswar: Children with visual and hearing impairments studying in special schools run by the department of social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) will be trained in life skills education in the new academic session of 2026-27.The department has announced the introduction of a life skills education (LSE) curriculum in special schools across the state. With the help of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), it has developed two LSE modules for students with hearing impairment (HI) and visual impairment (VI), covering Classes V to VII and VIII to X.For both visually and hearing-impaired children, officials said the curriculum will focus on decision-making and critical thinking, changes during puberty, sex, gender and sexuality, consent and relationships, child sexual abuse and career building, among other topics. The curriculum has been designed to ensure that the content is relevant, accessible and grounded in the students’ experiences, officials said.Ahead of the rollout, the department conducted training programmes for school heads and has now directed them to implement the curriculum from the current academic session. Classes under the curriculum will be held twice a week during school hours, officials added.The SSEPD department has also prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP), weekly session plans and monitoring formats to ensure uniform and effective implementation of the curriculum.The programme will initially be implemented in special schools across 20 districts.
