EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS A FAR CRY
SAMBALPUR : SSA ensures that every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided meaningful and quality education. Thus, SSA has adopted a zero rejection policy. This means that no child having special needs should be deprived of the right to education and taught in an environment, which is best suited to a child’s learning needs. These include special schools, EGS, AIE of even home-based education.
Sambalpur district had 3842 physically challenged below the age of 18 years and 344 among them have been provided with aids and appliances in the year 2007-08.
Sources in the District Project Office of Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) said that diabled children under SSA are provided with aids and appliances as per provision in the Integrated Education for Disabled (IED). From among the 3678 disabled aged between 6-14 years 3266 are being provided with education. However, out of the 3266 disabled, 57 have been handed over tricycle, 76 distributed with wheel chair, 53 have been given Crutches, 158 provided with hearing aid. Yet a lot of physically challenged children continue to deprieved of aids and appliances making coping with life difficult for them leave aside pursing education.
Those who can manage to spare time carry their children to schools but things are different for the hearing impaired children who hardly end up learning anything withouth hearing aids. These problems coupled with indifferent attitude of the Project officials has left as many as 412 children with special needs (CWSN) out of school.
But the adoption of a zero rejection policy of SSA has been defeated with the denial of CWSN in to the formal elementary schooling And till such time the multi-model of educating CWSN is not implemented, the Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) under SSA remains a far cry.