The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the Chief Secretary and the General Education Secretary to take steps to make available the services of special educators for the differently abled in State schools on all days in a week.
A single bench of the commission comprising member Reni Antony also directed the Chief Secretary and the Social Justice Secretary to undertake a survey of differently abled children as stipulated in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
The commission directions come on a petition from office-bearers of Navajeevan Parents Group of Disabled Children, a collective of parents of differently abled children, who alleged their children faced ridicule from other students, parents, and teachers. Many parents prevented their children from interacting with differently abled children. As a result, differently abled children did not want to go to school, they said, calling for steps to change this situation, including awareness creation.
On a notice, the Social Justice Director in a report said inclusive education activities were implemented through the Samagra Shiksha, Kerala. Special educators reached State schools only twice a week. The direction that they need not come to school on the days special educators were not there also limited their education.
The commission observed that society had begun to recognise that differently abled children had the same rights as other children. Efforts of the government and voluntary organisations to give priority to them were also becoming effective. However, there was need to understand that facilities given to the differently abled were their right, not a generosity. Also, there was a lot to do in the area of determining the status of the differently abled, treatment, availability of assistive devices, treatment and training, education, employment, inclusiveness, lifelong security, and so on. Facilities for the differently abled as stipulated in the Right to Education Act had not been fully made available.
The commission took a serious view of the fact that the provision to provide education for the differently abled in a usual classroom with the support of resource teachers was yet to be fully implemented. The services of special teachers on all working days in a school was still a distant dream for the differently abled children. Asking the children not to come to school on days the special educators were not there was a discrimination against them and a violation of national and international rights for them.
The commission directed that education officers be tasked with ensuring that physical infrastructure and academic matters were disabled friendly.
Awareness classes should be held for students, their parents, and teachers in schools at regular intervals to sensitise them to the need for bringing differently abled children into the mainstream.
The commission sought an action-taken report within 60 days.
