Kolkata, The West Bengal School Education department is planning steps to ensure that specially-abled students continue their education in regular government-sponsored and aided schools up to higher classes and do not drop out, a minister said on Tuesday.
Minister of State for School Education Kaushik Choudhury, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme, said a large number of specially-abled students had to drop out as the mainstream education system had not been able to adequately accommodate them.
The department has therefore decided to improve school infrastructure, appoint special educators and provide learning materials and other facilities that would make specially-abled students feel comfortable in schools, he said.
The department is also planning to introduce facilities and equipment in schools to help such students in their studies as well as in moving around the school premises independently.
Apart from infrastructure, the department is putting emphasis on the need for a change in the attitude of teachers and other school staff towards specially-abled students.
“Our attitude towards specially-abled students has to change. Everyone needs to be more caring and sensitive towards them,” Choudhury said.
At present, specially-abled students can study in regular schools up to Class 8 under provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009.
However, many of them face difficulties in continuing their education beyond the elementary level, an official said.
Whether a student continues schooling after Class 8 often depends on the decision of parents.
In some cases, parents are reluctant to keep their specially-abled children in regular schools, while in others, inadequate infrastructure poses a major hurdle, they said.
The workshop will discuss the challenges faced by specially-abled students in education, ways to make regular schools more accessible and conducive to their learning, and measures to prevent dropouts.
The department is also taking the views of parents into consideration. Their experiences and expectations regarding the education of their specially-abled children will be discussed as part of the exercise to formulate future plans.
The School Education Department’s objective is to ensure that specially-abled students remain part of the mainstream school education system along with other students and are not deprived of educational opportunities at any stage, the minister reiterated. PTI
