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Ludhiana: Kids with special needs put talent on display at state-level games
The event was inaugurated by cabinet minister for school education Harjot Singh Bains, who said that the games aim to provide a platform for children with special abilities to display their talent.
Lakshman Singh, who works as a labourer at Uksi village near Payal, had never dreamed that his 12-year-old son Namanjot, who has hearing and speech impairment, will find his voice in sports.
Namanjot, a footballer, is among the 1,116 athletes from across the state who will participate in the two-day state-level games for children with special needs which started at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on Thursday.
“He had started going to the village government school at the age of five, where he learnt sign language from the special educator there. We have learnt it a bit and now started communicating with him,” he added.
The event was inaugurated by cabinet minister for school education Harjot Singh Bains, who said that the games aim to provide a platform for children with special abilities to display their talent.
Over the course of the games being organised by the Punjab education department, government school students with 21 special abilities including impaired hearing and autism will participate in a range of athletics and sports events.
Several parents who accompanied the students shared the positive impact of the “Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs” scheme, which was started in 2004 under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, (now Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan), which is jointly funded by the Union and state governments.
Chetna, whose father works as an auto-rickshaw driver, has been wheelchair-chair bound since birth. She participated in a dance performance at the event. Her father said that she will take the Class 5 board exams this year and aims to score over 90%.
Accompanying 16-year-old Shubhdeep, his mother Vandana, said “We are not financially strong enough to afford special education for my son, who has autism and would stay at home all the time, which was having a negative effect on his health. After we found out that government schools have a programme for special students, he started attending primary school and we have seen a tremendous improvement in his condition,” she added.
Shubhdeep obtained the second position in the 100 metre race, she said.
50% staff of 1,800 govt schools directed to attend event
Teachers of as many as 1,800 government schools of four blocks in the district were directed to attend the opening ceremony of the games by the district education department. Most teachers left as Bains’ speech ended.
In a letter to school in-charges of government schools in Ludhiana-1, Ludhiana-2, Mangat -1 and Mangat-2 blocks, the district education department had asked them to ensure that 50% teachers are present by 8:30 am at the stadium.
A teacher, requesting anonymity, said that government school students are generally asked to attend state events to fill seats. but since bi-monthly exams are underway, the onus fell on the teachers.
Lack of special educators in state
Under the “Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs”, three inclusive education resource teachers (IERT) are deputed in each block and they are led by one district special educator. For each cluster of 10 to 12 government schools, a volunteer is deputed.
There are around 400 IER teachers and 1,100 volunteers in the state.
A teacher, requesting anonymity, said the state is suffering from an acute lack of special educators. In Ludhiana district, which has 19 blocks, there is hardly one block which has three educators, the teacher said.
Surinder Kaur, a parent, said that as a number of special children fail to avail the benefits of the government schemes, special educators should be appointed in every government school.
Amandeep Kaur, deputy project director of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, said, “Under the New Education Policy, special emphasis is laid on the holistic development of children with special needs. The process to fill the vacant posts and regularisation of staff is underway.”
