Lok Sabha Question No. 5786 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-10
Subject: Illiteracy among People with Disabilities (PwD)
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: (ADV.) JOICE GEORGE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5786 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

## Illiteracy among People with Disabilities (PwD)

5786. ADV. JOICE GEORGE:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the majority of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) in the country are illiterate and if so the details thereof;

- (b) whether it is a fact that they reportedly remain illiterate mainly because of lack of support services survey and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is also true that for each category of disability, a greater proportion of women in it are illiterate than men and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (d) whether the Government has any scheme to ensure availability of minimum support such as  accommodation,  assistive  devices,  education  and  transport  for  disabled  children  to complete their schooling and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a) & (b) As per Census 2011, the literacy rate among the persons with disabilities is 54.5 per cent  against  the  national  literacy  rate  of  72.98  per  cent  of  all  categories  of  persons.  The literacy  rates  among  different  types  of  disabilities  are  varying.  The  literacy  rate  in  persons with  visual  disability  is  52.8  per  cent,  in  hearing  disability  is  56.9  per  cent,  in  speech disability is 58.3 per cent, in movement disability is 60.2 per cent, in mental retardation is 41.3 per cent, in  any other disability is 60.0 per cent  and in multiple disability is 33.3 per cent.

(c)  Yes  madam. A statement indicating gender-wise literacy rates in persons with different disabilities is at Annexure.

(d) The Government is implementing schemes to cater to the diverse needs of the differentlyabled  children  at  elementary  and  secondary  level  of  education  through  Sarva  Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikha Abhiyan (RMSA) respectively, whereby inclusive education is extended to children with special needs (CWSN).

Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA)  promotes  inclusion  of  CWSN  in  neighbourhood schools  through  their  early  identification,  educational  placement,  provision  of  aids  and appliances and other resource support services, teacher training, parental training, community mobilisation, curricular adaptations, removal of architectural barriers, as well as residential, non residential or even home based education, as per their specific requirements.

SSA  provides  Rs.  3000/-  per  child  per  annum for  the  interventions  related  to education of CWSN, including identification, functional and formal assessment, appropriate educational placement,  provision of free aids and appliances, transport and/or escort support, teacher  training,  appointment  of  resource    teachers,  therapeutical  support  and  barrier  free access. As per Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), 2015-16, 20.56 lakh CWSN are enrolled at elementary level of schooling. Transport and escort facilities are provided to CWSN under the programme to facilitate their access to a neighbourhood school. Under the SSA, 1.94 lakh CWSN and 1.70 lakh CWSN were provided transport support and escort support respectively during 2015-16.

The National Council of Educational Research & Training has developed exemplar materials  for  primary  and  upper  primary  level  teachers  on  curricular  adaptations,  inclusive teaching and how to adopt flexibility in evaluation for children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms.  These  handbooks  cover  all  disabilities,  including  cognitive  and  intellectual disabilities, and have been disseminated to all States and UTs.

Under Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan,  the  component  Inclusive  Education for  Disabled  at  Secondary  Stage  (IEDSS)  covers  all  children  passing  out  of  elementary school and studying at the secondary stage in Government, local body and Government-aided schools,  with  one  or  more  disabilities  as  defined  under  the  Persons  with  Disabilities  Act (1995).

The scheme has provision for Student-oriented components which cover Assessment of medical/ educational needs, Provision of student specific facilities like transport facilities, hostel  facilities,  books,  uniforms,  assistive  devices,  therapeutic  service,  support  services, development of learning material, Purchase of screen reading software. Under the scheme, a financial  assistance  of  Rs.  3000/-  per  annum  per  disabled  child  is  provided  for  student oriented components as per applicable funding pattern between Centre and State.

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  5786  FOR  10.04.2017  ASKED  BY  ADV.  JOICE GEORGE REGARDING 'ILLITERACY AMONG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (PwD)'.

Gender-wise literacy rates in persons with different disabilities, as per Census 2011.

| Type of disability      | Literacy Rate (in per cent)   | Literacy Rate (in per cent)   |
|-------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|                         | Male                          | Female                        |
| In visual               | 62.4                          | 42.2                          |
| In hearing              | 65.4                          | 47.5                          |
| In speech               | 62.9                          | 52.4                          |
| In movement             | 69.0                          | 45.8                          |
| In mental retardation   | 45.3                          | 35.9                          |
| In any other disability | 66.7                          | 51.7                          |
| In multiple disability  | 40.5                          | 24.5                          |