Lok Sabha Question No. 3758 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-12
Subject: Learning Disability
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE, BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3758**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 12** **TH** **AUGUST, 2015**

**Learning Disability**

3758. SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE:

SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्री be pleased to state:

(a) the number and percentage of children suffering from learning disability to the total number of school going children along with the number of such children enrolled in primary, secondary and higher education in the country;

(b) whether the Government has been providing counselling support to such children and their parents and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the details of the number and ratio of qualified/trained persons for such children in the country; and

(d) the steps taken by the Government to promote awareness about learning disability in the country?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

(a): 2.84 lakh children of age 6-14 years with learning disabilities are enrolled as per Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2013-14. These constitute 0.14% of the total enrolment at the elementary level.

(b): Under SSA, regular parental counselling programmes are conducted for parents of children with special needs (CWSNs) including those of learning disabilities. Against the target of training of 3.56 lakh parents of CWSN in 2014-15, 4.96 lakh parents have been given training. Besides, the resource persons engaged at the Block Resource Centres (BRC) exclusively for CWSNs under SSA also conduct home visits to counsel parents. States like Kerala and Odisha do exclusive counselling programmes for parents of CWSNs.

(c): Under SSA, 20910 resource persons have specifically been engaged for children with special needs. These resource persons are technically qualified to teach CWSNs. They provide remedial education to children with specific learning disability.

(d): SSA promotes inclusion in schools for children with special needs (CWSN) 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. The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) has developed exemplar material on curricular adaptations, inclusive teaching and how to adopt flexibility in evaluation for children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. This handbook, meant for primary level teachers, covers all disabilities, including cognitive and intellectual disabilities, has been disseminated to States/UTs. Media campaigns of SSA show inclusion of CWSNs in schools. In the current year, another book on curricular adaptations for upper primary level has been prepared.

******