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Indian government introduces home-based education for children with disabilities
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Schools will soon be required to implement specific inclusivity measures for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) under the National guidelines and Implementation Framework on Equal and Inclusive Education (NGIFEIE). According to the latest norms released by the National Council for the Education of Exceptional Children (NCERT), the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) intends to provide home-based schooling to students with severe disabilities in the early years of education. This provision will help CwSN in attaining the required levels of learning. The new norm targets all three groups of students, namely CwSN students, physically challenged students, and students from economically weaker sections.
As part of the homeschooling initiative, an itinerant resource teacher will visit students with severe disabilities at their homes to guide them with their schoolwork. An official from the government department, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, "As part of this homeschooling, an itinerant resource teacher will visit the students' homes to teach them. While teaching, these resource teachers will guide the students to help them with their studies. Once the students achieve the desired learning level, they can gradually transition to regular schooling. The number of days that an itinerant resource teacher will visit the student's home to teach will depend on the parents' discretion. Homeschooling falls within the legal framework of education, and the Right to Education Act of 2009 does not prohibit homeschooling."
DSEL is also planning to appoint special educators to facilitate home-based schooling. As part of this initiative, school teachers will receive cross-disability training, enabling them to support CwSN and physically challenged students better. The 2016 Act on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities acknowledges 21 disabilities, encompassing conditions such as blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured individuals, hearing impairments (deaf and hard of hearing), locomotor disabilities, dwarfism, intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disabilities, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, multiple disabilities (including deaf-blindness), acid attack victims, and Parkinson's disease patients. All these diseases and disorders are considered severe disabilities among students. The guidelines have been formulated in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and will contribute to building a strong early childhood educational ecosystem in the country.
As part of the homeschooling initiative, an itinerant resource teacher will visit students with severe disabilities at their homes to guide them with their schoolwork. An official from the government department, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, "As part of this homeschooling, an itinerant resource teacher will visit the students' homes to teach them. While teaching, these resource teachers will guide the students to help them with their studies. Once the students achieve the desired learning level, they can gradually transition to regular schooling. The number of days that an itinerant resource teacher will visit the student's home to teach will depend on the parents' discretion. Homeschooling falls within the legal framework of education, and the Right to Education Act of 2009 does not prohibit homeschooling."
DSEL is also planning to appoint special educators to facilitate home-based schooling. As part of this initiative, school teachers will receive cross-disability training, enabling them to support CwSN and physically challenged students better. The 2016 Act on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities acknowledges 21 disabilities, encompassing conditions such as blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured individuals, hearing impairments (deaf and hard of hearing), locomotor disabilities, dwarfism, intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disabilities, thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, multiple disabilities (including deaf-blindness), acid attack victims, and Parkinson's disease patients. All these diseases and disorders are considered severe disabilities among students. The guidelines have been formulated in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and will contribute to building a strong early childhood educational ecosystem in the country.