Kids with disabilities shouldn`t be asked certificates for admission, exam: NCERT

No child with disability should be asked to produce certificates either for admission or examination, NCERT has suggested.

New Delhi: No child with disability should be asked to produce certificates either for admission, examination, getting support for facilities or scholarships as far as possible, NCERT has suggested.

It has also said that there should be exemption from the fee component in schools for children with disabilities whether studying in government or government-aided schools. The premier education body which conducted a study in 27 states to evaluate the implementation of the centrally- sponsored scheme of Inclusive Education of the Disabled at the Secondary Stage (IEDSS) regretted that getting a disability certificate from the medical board is "sometimes a nightmare" for parents of children with disabilities. "It is important that admission, retention, getting support facilities, scholarships, and full participation of children in all aspects of education, should not be subject to any criteria based on assessment tests, judgement by professionals and experts including psycho-medical certificates," NCERT said in its report. Noting that removal of architectural barriers remains limited to creation of ramps and railings only, it said all the schools should be made architecturally barrier free irrespective of the enrolment and category of students with disabilities. Pre-service and in-service teacher training need restructuring focusing on inclusive practices and strategies and Rehabilitation Council of India should take the initiative to prepare a complete database on number of special teachers trained each year, it said. "States also need to develop better recruitment policies for appointing special educators," it said while observing that over 88 per cent of the teachers gave no response to the question regarding the strategies used for meeting the special education needs of the students in the classroom. The report further suggested that the class size must include to a maximum of 30 students in general and a maximum of 20 in case the class includes children with special education needs. PTI