Lack of trained teachers hits special Edu

SHILLONG, OCT 7: With 12, 793 Children with Special Needs (CWSN) in Meghalaya efforts have been made to include them in mainstream education but lack of ‘teacher’s training’ has been a major issue in delivering quality education to these children who needs special educational care.

Bethany Society executive director Carmo Noronha told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday, “Meghalaya alone has over 10, 000 teachers who needs to be trained to handle children with disabilities (CWDs) in mainstream schools.”

Noronha also informed that the annual CBM-Include Vidya Campaign will be held on Thursday for creating awareness on ‘inclusive education’. He said ngos have volunteered to collaborate with the authorities for providing training to the teachers.

Stating that as per the latest census over 70 per cent of CWDs has been enrolled in normal schools and Noronha said, “The focus is not purely on enrollment but it is to ensure active participation of CWDs inside the classroom.” Pointing out that 90 per cent of CWDs are in the rural of the state, he informed that most of them have been included in the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) schools, funded by the centre government.

Stating that as part of the campaign, an inclusive mela will be held at the Bethany Society Complex, Noronho said, “The campaign is to include CWDs in education. This goes beyond enrolment to active learning, participation in the classroom as well as playing field and other extra-curricular activities.”

There are 12, 793 Children with Special Needs (CWSN) that have been identified in Meghalaya as per the Annual Report of the office of Commissioner for persons with disabilities for the year 2013-14 and 2014-15.

When asked, Noronha also said children with autisms, intellectual impaired, mental illness and learning disabled to some extent have not been properly identified.”

Meanwhile, Noronha also informed that another programme  slated for Thursday also includes a diagnostic cum digital hearing aid fitment camps for persons with hearing impairment, and orientation program for CBR workers of north eastern states.

Organized by the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped (AYJNIHH) Mumbai, the objective of the orientation program is to orient the CBR workers on rehabilitative management of hearing impairment with focus on prevention, early identification, intervention, education and socio economic rehabilitation and different schemes of the union government.

The programmes will be inaugurated by union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Krishanpal Gurjar, who is already in the state capital.

Noronho also informed that Gurjar will also distribute high quality hearing aids to at least 250 PWDs besides teaching kits to parents and children.

The teaching kits are being introduced after 10 years of research was conducted on how to teach intellectual impairment.- By Our Reporter