Lok Sabha Question No. 187 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-04
Subject: Education to Specially-abled Children under NEP
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Manoj Kishorbhai Kotak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.187

ANSWERED ON-04.12.2023

## Education to Specially-abled Children under NEP

## 187. SHRI MANOJ KOTAK:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state.

- (a) whether the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 advocates full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of education to ensure that all students are able to thrive in the education system;
- (b) if so, whether education centres for visual, speech and hearing impaired students are run by the Government and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the teachers are being trained to impart education to specially-abled students; and
- (d) whether the Government has any data on the number of specially-abled students educated or vocationally trained in the last five years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

- (a)     National  Education Policy 2020 emphasises that Education is the single greatest tool for achieving  social  justice  and  equality.  Inclusive  and  equitable  education  -  while  indeed  an essential goal in its own right - is also critical to achieving an inclusive and equitable society in which every citizen has the opportunity to dream, thrive, and contribute to the nation. It says that the education system must aim to benefit India's children so that no child loses any opportunity to  learn  and  excel  because  of  circumstances  of  birth  or  background.  The  policy  reaffirms  that bridging  the  social  category  gaps  in  access,  participation,  and  learning  outcomes  in  school education  will  continue  to  be  one  of  the  major  goals  of  all  education  sector  development programmes.

Further,  ensuring  the  inclusion  and  equal  participation  of  children  with  disabilities  in ECCE and the schooling system will also be accorded the highest priority. Children with Special Needs will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the Foundational Stage to higher education.

- (b) The Centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha - is an integrated scheme for School Education of the  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy,  Ministry  of  Education,  covers  children  from pre-primary to senior secondary level, including  children with Special  Needs.  Under Samagra Shiksha,  apart  from  overall  interventions  of  the  scheme,  there  is  a  dedicated  component  for Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) through which various provisions are  made  available  for  the  educational  needs  of  divyang  children  such  as,  provision  of  aids, appliances,  assistive  devices  &  teaching  learning  materials  (TLMs),  transportation,  escort  and scribe  allowances  etc.  The  component  support  also  includes  annual  block  identification  and assessment  camps  and  stipend  for  disabled  girls  etc  for  supporting  access  to  schools  and completion of their schooling.
- (c)    NISHTHA is a holistic teacher training program of the Ministry under which teachers are being  trained  to  impart  education  in  inclusive  classrooms.  Further,  NCTE  has  developed education programs that address the diverse learning needs of CWSN students and, NCTE has also developed accessibility Guidelines for Teacher Education Institutions.
- (d)   As per  UDISE+, the number of specially-abled students educated or vocationally trained in the last five years is as under:

| Financial Year   |   Number of specially-abled students |
|------------------|--------------------------------------|
| 2017-18          |                              2255063 |
| 2018-19          |                              2111497 |
| 2019-20          |                              2249069 |
| 2020-21          |                              2169171 |
| 2021-22          |                              2240358 |

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