Education of Children with Special Needs 3.3
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3.3 POSITION PAPER NATIONAL FOCUS GROUP ON EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 3.3 POSITION PAPER NATIONAL FOCUS GROUP ON EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ISBN 81-7450-494-X First Edition February 2006 Phalguna 1927 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or trans- PD 170T BB mitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. © National Council of Educational This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade, be lent, re- Research and Training, 2006 sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of without the publisher’s consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. The correct price of this publication is the price printed on this page, Any revised price indicated by a rubber stamp or by a sticker or by any other means is incorrect and should be unacceptable. 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Area, New Delhi 110 015 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The paper discusses the issues relating to the provisions, practices and curricular concerns for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Though SEN may result from a number of factors, in this paper, however, we are concerned with those arising from physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities. Trends in provisions in India reflect that the leading policy predisposition before the 1970s has been that of segregation. During the 1880s Christian missionaries started schools for the disabled on grounds of charity. This was followed by the government initiatives to establish separate workshops, model schools, central Braille presses and employment exchanges for the disabled population of the country. However, the changing approaches to disability from the charity model to the human rights model have resulted in diversity of policy and practice. In the 1970s the IEDC scheme was launched by the Union government for providing educational opportunities to learners with SEN in regular schools. Nevertheless, the statistics show that though the integration of learners with SEN gathered some momentum, the coverage under this scheme remained inadequate. There was a clear need for fuller access of children with SEN to all educational opportunities. Dissatisfaction with the slow progress towards integration along with the consideration of the costs involved led to a demand for a radical change. After the World Conference on Special Needs Education in Salamanca in 1990s, inclusion became the magic word in the educational field. The Salamanca Statement adopted by representatives of 92 Governments and 25 International Organisations has, in fact, set the policy agenda for inclusive education on a global basis. Inclusive education refers to all learners, young people – with or without disabilities being able to learn together in ordinary pre-school provisions, schools and community educational settings with appropriate network of support services. In addition to the provision of aids and appliances, a flexible, broad and balanced curriculum that can meet the needs of all children is the call of the day. The paper, therefore, proposes an inclusive curriculum for all students without discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, socio economic group, disability or ability. An inclusive curriculum recognises the need of schools to be organised with the individual differences of students in mind and is flexible enough to enable all students to achieve their goals. Implementation of an inclusive curriculum would require a number of changes in present day teaching practices, curriculum content, evaluation procedures and available resources at the school level. The goal of providing quality education would remain elusive so long as the concept of inclusion is not linked to broader discussions on pedagogy and effective participation of all children in the learning experiences provided in the classrooms. The implementation of a programme of inclusive education would also involve curricular modifications and the use of human and technological support, including the use of ICT. It is also important to mobilise support from parents, the community, and special schools. Considering the above context, specific recommendations have been made in the paper for developing guidelines for planning and implementing effective policies and programmes for education of children with special needs. MEMBERS OF NATIONAL FOCUS GROUP ON EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Dr. (Mrs.) Smriti Swarup (Chairperson) Ms. Usha Chaujer Director, Centre of Special Education Teacher, Primary School SNDT Women’s University Air Force Bal Bharati School Juhu, Mumbai Lodhi Road New Delhi - 110 003 Maharashtra Shri R. Ranga Sayee Dr. D. Vasantha Director Associate Professor Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Department of Linguistics Handicapped Osmania University K.C. Marg Hyderabad Bandra Reclamation(W) Andhra Pradesh Mumbai - 400 050 Maharashtra Ms. Anuradha Mohit Mrs. Bharti Special Rapporteur Lecturer in Special Education Human Rights Commission Regional Institute of Education (NCERT) Indian Institute of Spinal Injury Bhopal - 462 013 Vasant Kunj Madhya Pradesh New Delhi - 110 070 Ms. Vasanta Mani Dr. Jayanthi Narayan 75, Ponnaiha Rajapuram National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped Coimbatore District - 641 001 Ministry of Social Justice and Tamil Nadu Empowerment, Government of India Manovikasnagar P.O. Prof. Vinod Sena 1398, Dr. Mukherjee Nagar Secunderabad - 500 009 Near Batra Cinema Andhra Pradesh Delhi - 110 009 vi Dr. Anita Julka Invitees Reader in Special Education Shri M.M. Jha Department of Education of Groups Ex-Joint Secretary with Special Needs Ministry of Human Resource Development NCERT Government of India New Delhi - 110 016 Shastri Bhavan New Delhi - 110 001 Shri Vinod Kumar Mishra Sr. Technical Manager Dr. L. Govinda Rao Central Electronic Limited Director Sahibabad, Dist. Ghaziabad National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped Uttar Pradesh Manovikasnagar P.O. Secunderabd - 500 009 Dr. Sushma Sharma Andhra Pradesh Reader Department of Education Dr. Anupriya Chadha Kurukshetra University Consultant Kurukshetra - 131 119 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Haryana Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL) New Delhi Dr. Neerja Shukla (Member-Secretary) Professor and Head Department of Education of Groups with Special Needs NCERT, New Delhi - 110 016 CONTENTS Executive Summary ...v Members of National Focus Group on Education of Children with Special Needs ...vi 1. INTRODUCTION ...1 2. LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) ...2 3. SHIFTING MODELS OF DISABILITY: HISTORICAL PROGRESSION ...3 3.1 The Charity Model ...3 3.2 The Bio-centric Model ...4 3.3 The Functional Model ...4 3.4 The Human Rights Model ...4 4. EDUCATIONAL PROVISIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ...5 4.1 Integrated Education ...5 4.2 Legislation ...9 4.3 Changing Role of Special Schools ...9 4.4 Inclusive Education ...10 4.5 Benefits of Inclusion for Students without Special Needs ...12 4.6 Benefits of Inclusion for Students without SEN ...12 5. CURRICULAR ISSUES AND CONCERNS ...13 5.1 The Purpose ...13 5.2 Early Intervention and Preschool Programme for Children with SEN ...13 5.3 Planning and Managing an Inclusive Curriculum in Schools ...14 5.4 Access to an Inclusive Curriculum ...15 5.5 Teaching Practices ...15 5.6 Content Areas ...17 5.7 Work Education ...19 5.8 Evaluation ...20 5.9 Resources ...21 5.10 Staff Development ...22 6. RECOMMENDATIONS ...23 7. THE TASK AHEAD ...24 References...26 1 Education of Children with Special Needs1 education should be based on equity, the redressal of For life to go on—change is inevitable. Change is never easy past imbalances, and the provision of access to quality especially when it involves a large number of individuals and an education, especially for marginalised groups. Recent established system. Yet change is necessary when innovative educational developments and the Seventy Third and practices demonstrate greater effectiveness than past services. Seventy Fourth Constitutional Amendments outline the possibility of entrusting basic education to the local 1. INTRODUCTION elected bodies in towns and villages. This would allow Education is a powerful instrument of social change, for community participation in education at the and often initiates upward movement in the social elementary level and would introduce radical change, structure. Thereby, helping to bridge the gap between leading to the empowerment of learners with Special the different sections of society. The educational scene Educational Needs (SEN). in the country has undergone major change over