T’puram: CM VD Satheesan released the state’s draft policy for disability-friendly schools by handing over a copy to general education minister A Samsudheen on Wednesday. The policy, titled ENABLE (Equitable, Needs-based, Accessible and Barrier-free Learning Environments), seeks to ensure equal access, meaningful participation and individualised support for disabled children from pre-primary school to Class X.Its central principle is ‘one child, one coordinated support pathway’. Assistance will be determined by a child’s functional and educational needs rather than the name or percentage of disability, IQ level or certification status. The draft said basic educational and safety support should begin without waiting for completion of disability certification.The policy proposes a three-tier support system. Level-I will provide assistance within regular classrooms, while level-II will offer individualised education programme-based small-group or resource-room support. Level-III, which may be considered for classes IX and X after a multi-disciplinary assessment, will include flexible and functional curricula and vocational education. Regular classroom participation and peer relationships will remain central at all levels.The draft provides for Braille, Indian sign language, augmentative and alternative communication, accessible digital resources and assistive technology. It covers children with visual and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, multiple disabilities and speech/language disabilities.Schools will be made accessible beyond providing ramps and toilets. Barriers in classrooms, communication, digital platforms, exams, arts, sports, travel and social participation will also be addressed. Assessment methods will be adapted to enable children to demonstrate their knowledge fairly. The policy calls for mental-health support, prevention of bullying and abuse, accessible grievance-redressal systems and greater participation of children and parents in educational planning.General education, health, social justice, women and child development and LSG departments, along with SCERT, DIET, SSK, Kudumbashree and KITE, will be linked under a coordinated service mechanism for policy implementation.The proposals will be implemented in phases through govt orders, SOPs and annual action plans after legal, financial and administrative scrutiny. The full draft policy will be available on the general education department’s website: https://generaleducation.kerala.gov.in. The public can examine the draft and send suggestions to genednpolicy@gmail.com. After reviewing feedback, including public suggestions, the department will publish the final policy document within 90 days.
