How Draft NEP 2019 could be made disabled-friendly

The Draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 fails to address the needs of children with special needs (CwSN) and persons with disabilities (PwDs). Therefore, there is need for a separate policy for CwSN and PwDs.

The Draft NEP 2019 has not done much for CwSN / PwDs and a lot of issues are in fact left unheard and unaddressed. The CwSN /PwDs were represented in Under-Represented groups (URGs) along with SC, ST, OBCs, Muslims, Migrant Communities and Urban Poor. The lackadaisical approach to matters concerning the disabled gets exposed by the fact that neither the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which India ratified nor the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 has been taken cognisance in preparing the draft. Both of these have sizeable sections on education. Oddly, it talks of a non-existent Persons with Disabilities Act, 2005!

It is further, The Draft NEP was not into consideration of the above Acts is profoundly regressive and overwhelmingly undemocratic. It continues to perpetuate the existing discrimination against the disabled. It fails to invoke a rights-based approach and refuses to break away from the traditional method of viewing disability.

While the draft talks of inclusiveness, it uses the term 'Children with Special Needs', a term rejected by persons with disabilities. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 also does not use this term. Strangely, the draft talks of school education only and avoids spelling out measures to address concerns of students enrolled for higher education, which for a variety of reasons continues to be inaccessible for persons with disabilities.

Despite a host of provisions contained in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, "access" here is merely understood in terms of provision of ramps, handrails and toilets. Even in the matter of physical access, according to reports, only 22.4 per cent of schools have disabled-friendly toilets and in around 20 per cent of schools where ramps are required, they are absent. According to the MHRD's own data, amongst the various groups, the highest number of out of school children, are children with disabilities. In the year 2014, the figure for this group was 28.07 per cent. The draft, however, does not lay down any concrete measure to increase the enrolment of disabled children. On the contrary, the policy proposes to do away with the 25 per cent reservations for marginalized sections provided for in the Right to Education Act.

The Draft NEP is completely oblivious of special schools and their role. The status of such schools, run mostly by NGOs, which are under the domain of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, is left unanswered. Whether they would be brought under the MHRD and guidelines framed for them is not spelt out in this draft. The Draft NEP 2019 has not mentioned any organisation working among the disabled which was involved in the process. Even the nodal ministry, the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, the National Trust – are all glaring omissions from the list. Even the Rehabilitation Council of India, which is mandated "to regulate and monitor services given to persons with a disability, to standardise syllabus and to maintain a Central Rehabilitation Register of all qualified professionals and personnel working in the field of Rehabilitation and Special Education" does not figure in the list.

Recently UNESCO has released a 'State Report on Education 2019: Education for Children with Disabilities' which also includes specific recommendations related to changes in RTE Act 2017 and other provisions for CwSN and PwDs. The Special Educators' Forum – India (SEFI) after several rounds of consultations has recommended the followings for inclusive and holistic education policy. The SEFI recommendations are as under:

1. Amendment of Right to Education Act, 2009 in line with Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 for Proper implementation of Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) at all levels of education.
2. State and Central Governments, as well as all the other social actors, should recognize the importance of a broadened concept of inclusive education that addresses the diverse needs of all learners.
3. State, UTs, and Local authorities need to ensure that mandatory recruitment of Special Educators for every school where CwSN are being enrolled for addressing their special needs at the classroom level.
4. Implement the law of Practicing without RCI Registration in Government Management Schools / no – government organization / Private NGO or School practitioners is an offence under RCI Act no 34 of 1992 under Section 13 (2) for ensuring quality education for CwSN in all States and UTs.
5. Convergence among ministries and line department for proper implementation.
6. Ensure to make separate "National Policy on Education for Children with Special Needs and Persons with Disabilities form newborn to Higher Education"
7. The preparation of teachers for addressing the diverse needs of CwSN.
8. The budgetary allocation should be meet the learning needs of CwSN.
9. Robust and Qualitative data should be maintained up to a higher education level and convergence.
10. As a system, inclusive education should be flexible. Its flexibility must be reflected in the methods and materials used to give these children the widest possible access to the regular curriculum.
11. A school-based support team should develop strategies for the whole school to meet the needs of learners with special educational needs. This team should also be a resource for teachers experiencing problems in their classrooms.
12. The school has the primary responsibility for helping children learn alongside their typically developing peers. An inclusive school must enable education structures, systems and methodologies to meet the needs of all children, particularly those who face the greatest barriers to achieving their right to education.
13. Parents need to sensitize and where there is such co-operation in the Teaching Learning Process.
14. Bringing special children into mainstream requires adjustments that schools need to make in advance. Transport facilities should be altered so that these children can move around with relative ease. Architecturally, there should be ramps and wheelchair access constructed in service areas such as toilets.
15. Student-oriented components, such as medical and educational assessment, books and stationery, uniforms, transport allowance, reader allowance and stipend for girls, support services, assistive devices, boarding the lodging facility, therapeutic services, teaching-learning materials, etc., should provide according to need of the students and timely.
16. Necessary school supplies such as audio learning or textbooks in Braille should be made available. Suitable modification to the examination system may be required, so as to eliminate pure mathematical and logical assessments.
17. Teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education could be formed and developed in the context of an educational system which can provide some specific conditions in order to have a good practice in this field. In-service training programmes of two to three weeks' duration for general educators and special educators in all the disabilities and in specific areas of disability should arrange to effectively teach children with disabilities.
18. Periodic evaluation of the training programmes and constant updating to meet the challenges of changing trends in special education should be part of the planning of teacher preparation.
19. Inclusion should not be the sole responsibility of the specific class teacher. Everybody should be involved and take responsibility. Training for teachers should be sustained and ongoing.
20. The reform of the curriculum should be made in parallel with proper training for teachers regarding their knowledge of inclusion and its principles. The curriculum for each of the above programmes should be carefully developed by an expert group which includes practising special teachers.
21. Establish a wing for the Department of Education of Group with Special Educational Needs (DEGSN) under NCERT and all SCERTs.
22. Ensure to direct, constitute a Rehabilitation Wing for Inclusive Education for CwSN as a Nodal Agency under the Ministry of Human Resource Department to fill the academic gaps in Qualitative Implementation of Inclusive Education for CwSN and communicate with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and as well as under all school education departments in all states & UTs across India.
23. Redressal mechanism should be constituted under the Education Department for bridging the gaps and immediate results.
24. NCPCR/SCPCR need to have members each from the Parents of CwSN and Rehabilitation Professional.
25. If any relevant to the implementation of Inclusive Education for CwSN and PwDs.

(For more news, views and interviews on the Draft NEP 2019, please visit LIVE DISCOURSE)

(Kalpagiri Sreenu is a Hyderabad based Rehab Professional and National Convenor of Special Educators' Forum – India (SEFI).

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are the personal views of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)