National Law Institute University, Bhopal

Project on
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN INDIA FOR DISABLED
CHILDREN: INTERPRETATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND
ISSUES
Disability Law
B.A.LL.B. (Hons.)
XIV Trimester

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Dr. Uday Pratap Singh Iha K.Verma
2014 BA LLB 104

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 Acknowledgments

I would like to express my sincere thanks to my Disability Law teacher Dr. Uday Pratap
Singh for her valuable suggestions & guidance.

The completion of this project would not have been possible without the magnificent library
that has been provided to the students in the campus itself. Equally important is the wifi
connectivity which runs in the hostels, enabling the students to access the internet at any
point of time and increase and enrich their knowledge by reading the relevant information on
the net. I would also like to thank my friends because without their help, the completion of
this project would have been a much more arduous task.

At last, I am again grateful to my Disability Law teacher, Dr. Uday Pratap Singh for
allowing me to make a project on “INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN INDIA FOR
DISABLED CHILDREN: INTERPRETATION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ISSUES”
which has resulted in an increase of my knowledge of this topic.

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INTRODUCTION:-
Inclusive education has been defined at various ways that addresses the learning needs of the
differently abled children. The efforts of the Government of India over the last five decades
have been towards providing comprehensive range of services towards education of children
with disabilities. In 1974, the centrally sponsored scheme for Integrated Education for
Disabled Children (IEDC) was introduced to provide equal opportunities to children with
disabilities in general schools and facilitate their retention. The government initiatives in the
area of inclusive education can be traced back to National Educational Policy, 1986, which
recommended, as a goal, 'to integrate the handicapped with the general community at all
levels as equal partners, to prepare them for normal growth and to enable them to face life
with courage and confidence'. The World Declaration on Education for All adopted in 1990
gave further boost to the various processes already set in the country. The Rehabilitation
Council of India Act 1992 initiated a training programme for the development of
professionals to respond to the needs of students with disabilities. The National Policy for
Persons with Disability, 2006, which attempts to clarify the framework under which the state,
civil society and private sector must operate in order to ensure a dignified life for persons
with disability and support for their caretakers. Most recent advancement is the Right of
Children for Free and Compulsory Education (2009) which guarantees right to free and
compulsory education to all children between ages six to fourteen.1 For education for a child
with disability, the act has to be read in conjunction with Chapter V of the Persons with
Disability Act, 1995. Chapter V of the PWD Act ensures that every child with disability is
entitled to a free education up to the age of 18 years.2 Keeping in view, Govt. of India had
accelerated the new scheme of Inclusive Education to achieve the target of Education for All
(EFA) by 2010. Inclusion is an effort to make sure that diverse learner – those with
disabilities, different languages and cultures, different homes and family lives, different
interests and ways of learning. Inclusive Education denotes that all children irrespective of
their strengths and weaknesses will be part of the mainstream education. It is clear that
education policy in India has gradually increased the focus on children and adults with
special needs, and that inclusive education in regular schools has become a primary policy
objective. In almost every country, inclusive education has emerged as one of the most the
dominant issues in the education.

1
under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution.
2
Section 26(a) of PWD Act,1995

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With the release of the Salamanca Statement in 1994 (UNESCO), a large number of
developing countries started reformulating their policies to promote the inclusion of students
with disabilities into mainstream schools. The researches show that teachers in inclusive
settings collaborate more and spend more time planning, learn new techniques from one
another, participate in more professional development activities, show a greater willingness
to change, and use a wider range of creative strategies to meet students' needs. All school
going children, whether they are disabled or not, have the right to education as they are the
future citizens of the country. Today it is widely accepted that inclusion maximizes the
potential of the vast majority of students, ensures their rights, and is the preferred educational
approach for the 21st century.

Meaning of Inclusive Education

Inclusive education is based on the principle that schools should provide for all children
regardless of any perceived difference, disability or other social, cultural and linguistic
difference. The diverse needs of these learners and the quest to make schools more learning-
friendly requires regular and special education teachers to consult and collaborate with one
another as well as with family and community in order to develop effective strategies,
teaching and learning (Jelas, 2010) within inclusive setups. With the right training, strategies
and support nearly all children with SEN and disabilities can be included successfully in
mainstream education.

According to Barton (1997), “Inclusive education is not merely about providing access into
mainstream school for pupils who have previously been excluded. It is not about closing
down an unacceptable system of segregated provision and dumping those pupils in an
unchanged mainstream system. Existing school systems in terms of physical factors,
curriculum aspects, teaching expectations and styles, leadership roles will have to change.
This is because inclusive education is about the participation of ALL children and young
people and the removal of all forms of exclusionary practice”.

The ‘Index for Inclusion’ (Booth and Ainscow, 2011, 3rd edition) summarizes some of the
ideas which make up the view of inclusion within the Index as follows (CSIE, 2014):

Inclusion in education involves:

 Putting inclusive values into action.

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 Viewing every life and every death as of equal worth.

 Supporting everyone to feel that they belong.

 Increasing participation for children and adults in learning and teaching activities,

relationships and communities of local schools.

 Reducing exclusion, discrimination, barriers to learning and participation.

 Restructuring cultures, policies and practices to respond to diversity in ways that value

everyone equally.

 Linking education to local and global realities.

 Learning from the reduction of barriers for some children to benefit children more widely.

 Viewing differences between children and between adults as resources for learning.

 Acknowledging the right of children to an education of high quality in their locality.

 Improving schools for staff and parents/carers as well as children.

 Emphasising the development of school communities and values, as well as achievements.

 Fostering mutually sustaining relationships between schools and surrounding communities.

 Recognising that inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion in society.

Segregating children into ‘special needs’ and ‘mainstream’ schools prevent equal access to
social and curricular opportunities and labels children (United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child, 2008; UNESCO, 1994). Parents of children with disabilities are usually
more in favour of inclusive education and have a deeper understanding and wider knowledge
of terminology and specific legislation. However, many of the parents of children without
disabilities are often reluctant to have children with disabilities in the same class as their own
child.

At the Jometin World Conference (1990) in Thailand, the goals for 'Education for All' were
set and it was proclaimed that every person - child, youth and adult shall be able to benefit
from educational opportunities which would meet their basic learning needs. Ever since that
conference, UNESCO, along with other UN agencies, a number of international and national
non-governmental organizations have been working towards these goals. The inclusion of
pupils with barriers to learning and development in ordinary schools and classrooms is part of
a global human rights movement. In 1994, at the UNESCO World Conference on Special

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Needs Education held in Salamanca, Spain, the idea of inclusive education was given further
impetus. The conference considered the future international direction of Special Needs to
ensure the rights of children to receive a basic education.

The marginalization and exclusion of learners from an educational system was addressed at
the Dakar World Education Forum in April 2000 and it was so aptly captured in the
statement: "The key challenge is to ensure that a broad vision of Education for All as an
inclusive concept is reflected in national government and funding agency policies. Education
for All… must take account of the need of the poor and the most disadvantaged…young
people and adults affected by conflict, HIV/AIDS, hunger and poor health, and those with
special learning needs…”

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2008)
is a new international agreement about protecting and promoting the human rights of disabled
people throughout the world. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an
international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and
dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the Convention are required to promote,
protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure
that they enjoy full equality under the law. The Convention aims to serve as the major
catalyst in the global movement from viewing persons with disabilities as objects of charity,
medical treatment and social protection towards viewing them as full and equal members of
society, with human rights. UNCRPD makes it a binding that countries ratifying it will ensure
an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning.

Inclusive Education In India:-

“Inclusive education :- according to UNESCO, means that the school can provide a good
education to all pupil irrespective of their varying abilities. All children will be treated with
respect and ensured equal opportunities to learn together. Inclusive education is an on going
process. Teachers must work actively and deliberately to reach its goals”.3

In the 1990, inclusion captured that field after the World Conference on Special Needs
Education in Salamanca in 1994, with the adoption of the Salamanca Statement and
Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. Ninety percent of children with

3
UNESCO., “Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education Paris”, UNESCO, (2009).

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disabilities in developing countries do not attend school, says UNESCO.4 Through, in India,
there is no formal or official definition of inclusion, it does not only mean the placement of
the students with SEN in regular classrooms. The Draft Scheme on Inclusive Education
prepared by the MHRD (2003) uses the following definition. Inclusive Education means all
learners, young people with or without disabilities being able to learn together in ordinary
preschool provisions, schools, and community educational settings with appropriate network
of support services.5

Inclusive Education means including the children with disabilities in the regular classroom
that have been designed for children without disabilities (Kugelmass 2004) Inclusive
education refers to an education system that accommodates all children regardless of their
physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions. For the development of
social skills and better social interaction of the student’s inclusive education is the need of
education system.6

UNICEF’s Report on the status of Disability in India 2000 states that there are around 30
million children in India suffering from some form of disability. The Sixth All-India
Educational Survey (NCERT, 1998) reports that of India’s 200 million school aged children
(6-14 years), 20 million required special needs education. While the national average for
gross enrolment in school is over 90 percent, less than five percent of children with
disabilities are in school. The majority of these children remain outside mainstream
education.7 Thus it is necessary to explore current status of inclusive education in India as
well as problems, prospects, challenges related to its expansion in the country. For life to go
on- change is inevitable. Change is never easy especially when it involves a large number of
individuals and an established system. Yet change is necessary when innovative practices
demonstrate greater effectiveness than past services.8

The World Bank Report (2007) reported that, educational attainment and attendance of the
Children with disability were very poor and far below than the national averages. Data

4
UNESCO., “Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education Paris”, UNESCO, (2009).
5
Govt. of India.,“Draft of Inclusive Education Scheme”, MHRD, 2003.
6
Tyagi, K.Ed., “Elementary Education”, APH Publishing Corporation, New Delhi, (2013).
7
UNICEF., “Examples of Inclusive Education India, United Nations Children’s Fund Regional Office for South
Asia”, UNICEF, (2003)
8
NCERT., “Position Paper National Focus Group on Educational of Children with Special Needs”, New Delhi,
2006

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suggests that people with disabilities have much lower educational attainment rates, with 52
percent illiteracy against a 35 percent average for the general population.9

In India, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) joined hands with
UNICEF and launched Project Integrated Education for Disabled Children (PIED) in the year
1987, to strengthen the integration of learners with disabilities into regular schools. In 1997,
IEDC was amalgamated with other major basic education projects like the DPEP (Chadha,
2002) and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) (Department of Elementary Education, 2000).10
The Persons with Disability Act, 1995 has a provision of providing education to children with
special needs in the most appropriate environment. The SSA launched by the Govt. of India,
in 2001, underlines the prerogative of a child with disability to be included in the mainstream
of education.

MHRD (2006) in its Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) framework clearly states that “SSA will
ensure that every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of
disability, is provided education in an appropriate environment. SSA will adopt zero rejection
policy so that no child is left out of the education system. It will also support a wide range of
approaches, options and strategies for education of children with special needs.” Inclusive
Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) was approved in India in September,
2008 to replace IEDC Scheme from 2009-10. The Scheme is 100% centrally funded.

The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is mainly responsible for education and
rehabilitation of CWSN. The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) was set up as a registered
society in 1986. On September, 1992 the RCI Act was enacted by Parliament and it became a
Statutory Body on 22 June 1993.The Act was amended by Parliament in 2000 to make it
more broad based. The mandate given to RCI is to regulate and monitor services given to
persons with disability, to standardise syllabi and to maintain a Central Rehabilitation
Register of all qualified professionals and personnel working in the field of Rehabilitation

9
World Bank., “People with Disabilities in India. From Commitment to Outcomes”, New Delhi: Human
Development Unit, South Asia Region, (2007).
10
Chadha, A. (2002). “Inclusive Education in DPEP”. Journal of Indian Education. Special issue on Education of
Learners with Special Needs.

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and Special Education. The Act also prescribes punitive action against unqualified persons
delivering services to persons with disability.

Article 24 of the Convention (UNCRPD, 2008) on education states that:

1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to
realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties
shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning directed to:

a) The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth, and the
strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and human diversity;

b) The development by persons with disabilities of their personality, talents and creativity, as
well as their mental and physical abilities, to their fullest potential;

c) Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society.

2. In realizing this right, States Parties shall ensure that:

a) Persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis
of disability, and that children with disabilities are not excluded from free and compulsory
primary education, or from secondary education, on the basis of disability;

b) Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and
secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live;

c) Reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements is provided;

d) Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system,
to facilitate their effective education;

e) Effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize

academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.

3. States Parties shall enable persons with disabilities to learn life and social development
skills to facilitate their full and equal participation in education and as members of the
community. To this end, States Parties shall take appropriate measures, including:

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a) Facilitating the learning of Braille, alternative script, augmentative and alternative modes,
means and formats of communication and orientation and mobility skills, and facilitating peer
support and mentoring;

b) Facilitating the learning of sign language and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the
deaf community;

c) Ensuring that the education of persons, and in particular children, who are blind, deaf or
deaf-blind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of
communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social
development.

4. In order to help ensure the realization of this right, States Parties shall take appropriate
measures to employ teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified in sign
language and/or Braille, and to train professionals and staff who work at all levels of
education. Such training shall incorporate disability awareness and the use of appropriate
augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, educational
techniques and materials to support persons with disabilities.

5. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access general tertiary
education, vocational training, adult education and lifelong learning without discrimination
and on an equal basis with others. To this end, States Parties shall ensure that reasonable
accommodation is provided to persons with disabilities.

These provisions, being mandatory and a binding are a real challenge for the Government of
India which has signed and ratified UNCRPD as early as in 2008. As far as clause 1(a), (b),
and (c) are concerned, we know that many children with special needs are yet to be
accommodated to our system of education. Most of such children are out of schools. Clause 2
desires full inclusion in Indian education which is not going to be easy considering the
challenges to be faced. The Article not only desires full inclusion at the primary level but it
desires accommodations at secondary and tertiary levels as well. The reality warns us to
make immediate efforts in these areas.

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National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2006) states that: “Education is the most
effective vehicle of social and economic empowerment.11 In keeping with the spirit of the
Article 21A of the Constitution guaranteeing education as a fundamental right and Section 26
of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, free and compulsory education has to be provided
to all children with disabilities up to the minimum age of 18 years. According to the Census,
2001, fifty-one percent persons with disabilities are illiterate. This is a very large percentage.
There is a need for mainstreaming of the persons with disabilities in the general education
system through Inclusive education.”

The proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, introduced in the Rajya Sabha
(Parliament) on February 7, 2013 by then Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment,
repeals the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities Protection of Rights and Full
Participation) Act, 1995. The Bill provides for the access to inclusive education, vocational
training and self-employment of disabled persons.

Thus, the government of India promises inclusive education to be implemented in all

educational institutions, at all levels.

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) (2000), brought out by
the NCERT, recommended inclusive schools for all without specific reference to pupils with
SEN as a many of providing quality education to all learners. According to NCFSE:
‘Segregation or isolation is good neither for learner with disabilities nor for general learners
without disabilities. Societal requirement is that learners with special needs should be the
educated along with other learners in inclusive schools, which are cost effective and have
sound pedagogical practices”.12

The National Curriculum Framework 2006 speaks as below: “For teaching to serve as a
means of strengthening our democratic way of life, it must respond to the presence of first
generation school- goers, whose retention is imperative owing to the Constitutional
amendments that has made elementary education a fundamental right of every child.
Ensuring health, nutrition and an inclusive school environment empowering of children in

11
National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2006). Government of India: Ministry of social Justice and
Empowerment.
12
Rao, I. (2003)., “Inclusive Education in the Indian Context”, NCERT, 16-17 September, New Delhi.

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their learning, across differences of caste, religion, gender, disability, is enjoined upon as by
the Constitutional amendment”.13

The Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 had a clear provision in
its Chapter II under clause 3 subsection 2 stated that- For the purpose of sub-section (1), no
child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or
her from pursuing and completing the elementary education. -Provided that a child suffering
from disability, as defined in clause (i) of section 2 of the persons with disabilities (Equal
Opportunities, Protection and full Participation) Act, 1996 shall have the right to pursue free
and compulsory elementary education in accordance with the provision of Chapter V of the
said Act.14

Problems of Inclusive Education in India:-

Inclusive education is a binding and priority for government of India. However, a wide gap in
policy and practice exists in the country with respect to inclusive education. There are a
number of barriers that hinder proper practice of inclusive education in our country. Based on
the literature and personal experiences, the authors believe these barriers to include the
following:

a. Skills of teachers

Skills of teachers which are responsible for implementing inclusive education are also not up
to as desired and necessary for inclusion. The current skill levels of regular primary and
secondary school teachers in Delhi, India in order to teach students with disabilities in
inclusive education settings, nearly 70% of the regular school teachers had neither received
training in special education nor had any experience teaching students with disabilities.
Further, 87% of the teachers did not have access to support services in their classrooms.
Finally, although both primary and secondary school teachers rated themselves as having
limited or low competence for working with students with disabilities, there was no
statistically significant difference between their perceived skill levels. The inefficiency of
teachers to develop and use instructional materials for inclusion students is also a problem
issue.

13
SSA., “Education of Children with Special Needs in SSA Confluence Concept and Meaning of Inclusion”,
Vol.(1) New Delhi, (2006).
14
Govt. of India., “Annual Report”, MHRD, 2009-10.

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b. Attitudes towards inclusion and disability among teachers, administrators, parents,
peers and policy planners

In addition to many other requirements, implementation of inclusive education immensely

requires positive attitudes towards inclusion and disability among teachers, parents, peers,
administrators and policy planners. However, negative attitudes are still persisting among
these in many cases. This is adversely affecting inclusive education scenario in India.
Mainstream teacher attitudes may be a contributory barrier to successful inclusive practices.
Teachers tend to be broadly positive about the principle of inclusion while at the same time
viewing its practical implementation as problematic. However it has been argued that neutral,
even negative, attitudes toward inclusion may better characterize teacher viewpoints. Indeed
teachers in mainstream schools were less positive about the potential of children with
learning disabilities than special school teachers. The inclusion of children with social,
emotional and behavioural difficulties has consistently been reported as a particularly
problematic for teachers, and is accompanied by negative teaching attitudes.

School principals too have a central role in promoting an inclusive ethos within their schools.
This implied that school principals have a crucial role within their school to communicate
their expectations regarding inclusive practices clearly to their teaching staff. Although no
research could be located in Indian settings by the authors, but they believe that negative
attitudes are quite prevalent among teachers, parents, peers, administrators and policy
planners towards disability as well as inclusive education.

c. Lack of awareness about children with disabilities among general teachers.

The general teachers, at all levels, lack basic awareness about children with disabilities. They
have their own socially and culturally constructed notions about certain obvious disabilities
but lack scientific and educational knowledge about the disabilities such as classification,
labelling, special needs and adaptations etc.

d. Improper curriculum adaptation

For practicing inclusive education, curricular adaptations suited to special and unique needs
of every learner, including children with disabilities, are necessary. Concepts like ‘Universal
Instructional Design’ are to be properly developed and incorporated into the curriculum.
However, needed curricular adaptations are either missing altogether or are improper.

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e. School environment including difficulties in physical access

School environment needs accommodations for truly practicing inclusive education.

However, such accommodations are not there in majority of the schools. Facilities like ramps,
lifts, and directional cues etc. are mostly absent in schools.

f. Support services

For implementing inclusive education in all educational institutions, at all levels, we need
strong support services. Their strength should be both quantitative and qualitative. But,
existing support services are scarce and inadequate.

g. Family collaboration

Keeping in mind the nature of Indian society and culture, it can be safely stated that family
has a very important role in implementing inclusive education in India. Family is considered
having sole responsibility for their children in India. Hence, inclusion can only be realised by
motivating and involving family in the process.

k. Improper policy planning and lack-luster implementation

Government of India claims that it has implemented inclusive education everywhere and at
all levels. However, the policy planning is improper and measures to assess the degree of
implementation have not been developed. Furthermore, implementation of inclusive
education in private sector has not been enforced and ensured.

Need and Importance of Inclusive Education

There have been efforts internationally to include children with disabilities in the educational
mainstream. In order to achieve truly inclusive education, we need to think about and
incorporate children with special needs into regular schools. Especially, because these kids
face some sort of barriers to learning and participation in the classroom. As general education
classrooms include more and more diverse students, teachers realize the value of accepting
each student as unique. In effective inclusive programs, teachers adapt activities to include all
students, even though their individual goals may be different. We have learned that inclusive
education is a better way to help all students succeed. Researches show that most students
learn and perform better when exposed to the richness of the general education curriculum.
The growing body of research has shown that children do better academically when in

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inclusive settings and Inclusion provides opportunities to develop relationships. Some of the
benefits include: friendships, social skills, personal principles, comfort level with people who
have special needs, and caring classroom environments. The most important function of
friendships is to make people feel cared for, loved, and safe. In an inclusive educational
setting, low-achieving students are able to get extra help even though they did not qualify for
special education. Classmates of students with disabilities also experience growth in social
cognition, often can become more aware of the needs of others in inclusive classrooms. An
interesting side effect is that these parents report that they also feel more comfortable with
people with special needs because of their children's experiences. Students with disabilities
can create long-lasting friendships that would not be otherwise possible, and these friendships
can give them the skills to navigate social relationships later on in life.

Government Programmes For Inclusive Education:-

1. Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC)

The Ministry of Welfare, now Social Justice and Empowerment, implemented the Integrated
Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) scheme from 1974 to 1982, when it transferred to
the Department of Education. The scheme was apparently intended to encourage co-operation
between mainstream and special schools in order to support integration, although Julka
(2005) believes this co-operation did not happen.15 IEDC has been replaced by the Integrated
Education for the Disabled (IED) component of the national District Primary Education
Project (DPEP), and supports community mobilization and early detection, in-service teacher
training, architectural design in schools, the establishment of resource centres, teacher
training, identification and assessment of children with disabilities, and the supply of
specialist aids and appliances (Mukhopadhyay, 2003).16

2.Project on Integrated Education for Disabled (PIED)

In 1987, UNICEF and the government-funded National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT) launched the Project on Integrated Education for Disabled (PIED) in 10
blocks, that focused on teacher training in order to encourage integration. PIED was later

15
Educational Provisions and Practices for Learners with Disabilities in India, paper presented at the Inclusive
and Supportive Education Congress 2005, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
16
Mukhopadhyay, S. (2003) (ed) National Seminar on Partnership of Government and NonGovernment
Organizations for Inclusive Education (October 15-17, 2003) Report, New Delhi: National Institute of
Educational Planning and Administration.

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amalgamated with the DPEP and SSA and by 2002 extended to 27 States (Julka, 2005).17
While enrolment of children with disabilities in the mainstream increased and retention was
high, coverage has been “miniscule” with only 2-3% of children with disabilities integrated in
mainstream institutions. Criticisms made in the project evaluation pointed to implementation
issues, such as children getting financial assistance who were not classified as disabled, or
teacher training courses being un-regulated (Julka, 2005). However, the design of the project
which encouraged continued labelling of children and withdrawal of those with disabilities
from particular activities in school was not highlighted. Further, despite aiming to deliver
learner-centered teacher training courses, much of the course instruction was found to be
traditionally formal, hence failing in one of its key objectives of instigating change in
pedagogy through teacher training.

3. District Primary Education Programme (DPEP)

The 1995 District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), funded 85% by Central
government via a World Bank loan and support from the European Community, UNICEF and
the UK and Netherlands governments, and 15% by the State governments, focused on the
universalisation of primary education, particularly for girls. The intention was for district-
specific planning to make the programme contextual, and for participatory processes to
empower and build capacity at all levels (GOI, 2002).18 However, it was found that the
programme focused on quantitative targets and educational administration capacity-building
more than participation, hence failing to empower local communities, unlike Lok Jumbish.
Children with disabilities were included with the aim of achieving EFA. Extensive
construction led to the creation of 200,000 new schools, and a teacher-training component led
to the in-service training of all teachers. Due to a lack of data, it is not possible to confirm
how many children with disabilities were, or were not, integrated under the auspices of
DPEP.

4. Janshala

This community schools programme, started in 1998 and now replaced by SSA (see below),
was a collaboration between the Government of India and the UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO,
the ILO, and UNFPA, and supported the government drive towards universal primary

17
Julka, A. (2005) Educational Provisions and Practices for Learners with Disabilities in India, paper presented
at the Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress 2005, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
18
GOI (2002) India 2002: A Reference Annual, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
New Delhi: Government of India.

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education. It covered 120, mainly rural, blocks in 9 States where there is evidence of low
female literacy, child labour, and SC/ST children not catered for under DPEP
(Mukhopadhyay, 2005).19 Unfortunately, due to limited availability of data, it is not possible
to elaborate on any issues arising on the Janshala programme, which has a component
designed to improve the attendance of difficult to reach groups of children, including children
with disabilities.

5. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the government’s millennial Education For All umbrella
programme for all education schemes, which aims to universalise elementary education. The
goals are that all children aged 6-14.

i) will be in some form of education by 2003,

ii) will complete 5 years’ primary education by 2007, and

iii) will complete 8 years’ education by 2010 (GOI, 2002).

Disability indicators are included in the government agreement for SSA (Thomas, 2005a),
although what exactly these are and whether they are taken on at local level is unclear. In
fact, although one of the official SSA objectives is the enrolment of children with disabilities,
the World Bank (2004) SSA project appraisal does not list disability as a key indicator, unlike
gender, SC and ST.

Measures for implementing Inclusive Education

1. The Right to Education (RTE) must apply to all citizens of India. State and central
Governments as well as all the other social actors should recognize the importance of a
broadened concept of inclusive education that addresses the diverse needs of all learners.

2. A policy of inclusion needs to be implemented in all schools and throughout Indian

education system (NCF, 2005). Schools need to become centres that prepare children for life
and ensure that all children, especially the differently abled children from marginalized
sections, and children in difficult circumstances get the maximum benefit of this critical area
of education.

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3. The preparation of teachers for rural special education programmes should be planned
differently, as the aim of these programmes would be to integrate disabled persons in their
own environment and community.

4. As a system, inclusive education should be flexible. Its flexibility must be reflected in the
methods and materials used to give these children the widest possible access to the regular
curriculum.

5. A school-based support team should develop strategies for the whole school to meet the
needs of learners with special educational needs. This team should also be a resource for
teachers experiencing problems in their classrooms.

6. The school has the primary responsibility for helping children learn alongside their
typically developing peers. An inclusive school must enable education structures, systems
and methodologies to meet the needs of all children, particularly those who face the greatest
barriers to achieving their right to education.

7. Parents have a right to be involved in all decision-making concerning their child. They
should be seen as partners in the education process. Where there is such co-operation, parents
have been found to be very important resources for the teachers and the schools.

8. Bringing special children into mainstream requires adjustments that schools need to make
in advance. Transport facilities should be altered, so that these children can move around with
relative ease. Architecturally, there should be ramps and wheelchair access constructed in
service areas such as toilets.

9. Student-oriented components, such as medical and educational assessment, books and

stationery, uniforms, transport allowance, reader allowance and stipend for girls, support
services, assistive devices, boarding the lodging facility, therapeutic services, teaching
learning materials, etc should provide according to need of the students.

10. Differently abled children should be treated equally as the normal children and instead of
looking them in sympathy their talents and abilities should be recognised for their self respect
and welfare of the society.

11. Necessary school supplies such as audio learning or textbooks in Braille should be made
available. Suitable modification to examination system may be required, so as to eliminate
pure mathematical and logical assessments.

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12. Teachers‟ attitudes towards inclusive education could be formed and developed in the
context of an educational system which can provide some specific conditions in order to have
a good practice in this field.

13. Families with children without disabilities should develop relationships with families with
children with disabilities and be able to make a contribution.

14. In-service training programmes of two to three weeks' duration for general educators and
special educators in all the disabilities and in specific areas of disability should arrange to
effectively teach children with disabilities.

15. Those schools that are committed to taking in children with special needs, then teachers
must attend workshops in order to be adjusted to the child's needs.

16. Periodic evaluation of the training programmes and constant updating to meet the
challenges of changing trends in special education should be part of the planning of teacher
preparation.

17. Inclusion should not be the sole responsibility of the specific class teacher. Everybody
should be involved and take responsibility. Training for teachers should be sustained and
ongoing. It should most importantly focus on attitudinal change.

18. The reform of the curriculum should be made in parallel with a proper training for
teachers regarding their knowledge of inclusion and its principles. The curriculum for each of
the above programmes should be carefully developed by an expert group which includes
practising special teachers.

CASE LAWS:-

Rajneesh kumar pandey & Ors. V. Union of India & Ors.

On December 4, a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M.
Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud directed an Order on 04 December 17, the state of
Uttar Pradesh to explain how it plans on operationalising the provisions on inclusive
education set out under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWD Act). These
observations came in response to a PIL filed by one Rajneesh Kumar Pandey, urging the
court to direct the UP government to appoint more special educators for children with
disabilities.

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This marks a significant departure from the approach adopted by the court in its order
dated October 27, 2017. Then, the court had stated that it found it “impossible to think” that
children who have disabilities can be imparted education in mainstream schools, opining that
such children must only be taught in special schools.

Conclusion

Right to Education Act 2009 ensures education to all children irrespective of their caste,
religion, ability, and so on. It is essential to build an inclusive society through an inclusive
approach. In doing so, we have challenged commonly held beliefs and developed a new set of
core assumptions. Inclusion is more than a method of educating students with disabilities. It
stresses that each child, regardless of the intensity and severity of his or her disabilities, is a
valued member of society and is capable of participating in that society. A good inclusive
education is one that allows all the students to participate in all aspects of classroom equally
or close to equal. To meet the challenges, the involvement and cooperation of educators,
parents, and community leaders is vital for the creation of better and more inclusive schools.
The Government of India is trying to improve its education system focusing on the inclusive
approach. The challenges can be overcome by raising awareness of human rights in
communities and publicising positive examples of disabled children and adults succeeding in
inclusive education and in life beyond school as a result. We need to develop an inclusive
design of learning to make the education joyful for all children so that the education for them
is welcoming, learner friendly and beneficial and they feel as a part of it not apart from it.
Therefore, Inclusion arose as a good solution to the question of how to educate these children
more effectively.

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Bibliography:-

 UNESCO(2000). Dakar Framework for action

http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/dakfram_eng.shtml
 UNESCO (2006).Inclusive Education. http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-
URI_ID
 UNICEF (2007).Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities. Innocent
Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/digest13-
disability.
 UNESCO (1994).Salamanca Statement. http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-
URL_ID=10379&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
 Census of India (2001). Government of India. http://censusindia.gov.in/
 Census of India (2011).Government of India.Retrieved from http://censusindia.gov.in/
 Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) (2006), Inclusive Education –
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