Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)

Activities undertaken for Disability Sector 

Department of Elementary Education and Literacy

The National Policy on Education, 1986 as modified in 1992, emphasizes three aspects in relation to Elementary Education, viz.,
  • Universal Access and Enrollment
  • Universal Retention of Children up to 14 years of Age, and
  • Substantial Improvement in the Quality of Education to Enable All Children to Achieve Essential Levels of Learning.

The Policy also emphasizes that education must play a positive and interventional role in correcting social and regional imbalance, empowering women and in securing a rightful place for the disadvantaged and the Minorities.

The priority areas are free and compulsory elementary education to all, covering children with special needs, eradication of illiteracy, education for women’s equality and special focus on the education of SCs/STs and Minorities Major schemes of the Department during the Tenth Plan are:.

  • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), including:
    • National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL), and
    • Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education (EGS andamp; AIE)
  • District Primary Education Programme (DPEP)
  • National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NPSE) [commonly known as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme]
  • Teacher Education
  • Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV)
  • Mahila Samakhya
Inclusive Education of Children with Special Needs (CWSN)

SSA aims to ensure that every Child with Special Needs (CWSN), irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided education in an appropriate environment and envisages adoption of zero rejection policy so that no child is left out of the education system. SSA envisages a specific grant @ Rs.1200/- per CWSN per year to meet “the special learning needs” of CWSN. Convergence has been established with Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide aids and appliances to CWSN under SSA. Steps are being taken to make all new school buildings and the existing schools barrier free.

Department of Secondary and Higher Education

The Following are the guidelines and scope of the above facilities:

Exemption from examination in the third language; Permission to use an amanuensis and allowed an additional 60 minutes (1 hour) time for each external examination; Consider the physio-therapic exercises as equivalent to Physical andamp; Health Education course of the Board; Have the option of studying one compulsory language as against two. This language should be in consonance with the overall spirit of the Three Language Formula prescribed by the Board. Besides one language any four of the following subjects be offered:
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Social Science
  • Another language
  • Music
  • Painting and
  • Home Science.
In addition to above concessions, the Centre Supdts. have been requested to make arrangements for conduct of examination of such candidates on the ground as far as possible.

RULES FOR APPOINTING AN AMANUENSIS:
  1. An amanuensis must be a student of a class lower than the one for which the candidate is taking the examination.
  2. The Superintendent of the examination centre concerned shall choose a suitable amanuensis and forward immediately to the Regional Officer concerned of the Board, a report giving full particulars of the candidate and of the amanuensis for his consideration and approval.
  3. The Superintendent shall arrange a suitable room for the candidate for whom an amanuensis is allowed and appoint one special Assistant Superintendent to supervise his examination.
  4. Such a candidate shall pay fee as may be prescribed for use of amanuensis. However, a blind or physically handicapped or spastic candidate will be provided service of an amanuensis free of cost.
  5. The amanuensis shall be paid by the Board a remuneration as prescribed from time to time.
Secondary Education

The Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC)
 scheme started in 1974, provides 100 percent funding to State Governments/UTs and NGOs towards facilities extended to disabled children such as books and stationary, uniforms, transport allowance, escort allowance, reader allowance for blind children, equipments. The Scheme has also component for free school training for disabled children and counseling for their parents. Assistance is also provided for setting up of resource room, survey and assessment of disabled children, purchase and production of instructional material, training and orientation of general teachers to take care of the educational need of the disabled children. The revision of the scheme is under consideration so as to make schools more inclusive and make systemic reforms for bringing and retaining more and more children with disabilities in regular schools.

University and Higher Education

To ensure inclusiveness in the higher education system, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been operating two schemes namely Teachers Preparation in Special Education (TEPSE) and Higher Education for Persons with Special Needs (HEPSN) for the differently abled persons. The main objective of the scheme is to develop courses for special teachers and counselors, and also to provide facilities in various forms for differently abled persons. 

Source: CCPD Annual Report 2006-2007
Other Schemes: