The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, has conducted a nationwide screening of a 30-minute Sensitisation and Orientation Module on Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) through the PRASHAST Portal in schools nationwide.
Through this initiative, the Department aims to promote a whole-school approach to inclusion, ensuring that teachers, special educators and non-teaching staff understand the needs of CwSN and help create a safe, accessible and supportive school environment.
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The module uses practical examples and interactive activities to familiarise school personnel with appropriate and respectful practices for supporting CwSN. It is available in 12 Indian languages and is designed for heads of schools, teachers, special educators and non-teaching staff, including aayahs, drivers, clerical staff, receptionists, deans and wardens.
More than 60000 schools have participated in the nationwide screening. DoSEL has been conducting continuous sensitisation of general teachers on Inclusive Education through PRASHAST for the past three months. More than 72 lakh teachers have already been sensitised through the dedicated module.
The Ministry emphasised that inclusive education is a shared responsibility and that every interaction a child has within a school—from the classroom and administrative office to transport and other common spaces—contributes to their overall experience of inclusion.
The initiative is part of the Ministry’s continued efforts to strengthen equitable, accessible and inclusive education, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the RPwD Act, 2016.
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About Prashast
PRASHAST is a school-based screening tool for identifying children with 21 disability conditions under India's RPwD Act, 2016. It features a two-part checklist: Part 1 for regular teachers to screen students on observable behaviours (physical, visual, hearing, speech, learning, autism, mental health, etc.); Part 2 for special educators to validate, categorise, and prepare referrals.