There is a need to strengthen data on children with disabilities which can help in effective planning, implementation and monitoring of their education, according to a report by UNESCO.

The report titled 'State of the Education Report for India 2019: Children with Disabilities' also mentioned that there should be concentrated campaigns and large scale awareness which can improve the attitude towards children with disabilities in the classroom and beyond.

"A school can only be inclusive when all its students are able to access its resources and participate in its activities without exception. Children with disabilities should not be left behind," said Eric Falt, Director, UNESCO New Delhi.

According to the report, three-fourth of the children, who are five-years-old and have certain disabilties, do not go to any educational institution. It also added that one-fourth of the children, with disabilities population aged between five and 19, do not attend any educational institution.

It also mentioned that there are fewer girls with disabilities in schools than boys. Also, the proportion of children with disabilities who are out of school is higher than the overall proportion of out-of-school children at the national level.

The report, prepared by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and commissioned by UNESCO, said that transformation of teaching practices is the need of the hour to aid the inclusion of diverse learners.

The report further added that a mechanism under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is needed to coordinate all education programmes for children with disabilities across departments. This would help remove inconsistencies and achieve synergy in the various measures aimed at their education.

Talking about challenges, the report said that inadequate allocations, delays in releasing funds and under-utilisation of allocation remain key challenges in financing education for children with disabilities.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW