New Delhi: Emphasising systemic responsibility over reliance on civil society and parents for supporting children with special needs (CwSN), Union education ministry officials on Friday called for strengthening institutional mechanisms and announced a five-day, eight-module national training programme for general teachers, urging states to nominate master trainers to scale up inclusive education nationwide.
Addressing the Inclusive Education Summit in New Delhi, Ira Singhal, deputy secretary of department of school education and literacy (DoSEL), said the summit aimed to bring together government, civil society and parents to ensure that every child is reached, supported and included.
“If we do our job well, others will not need to step in,”she said, underlining the government’s commitment to building a strong and inclusive education system.
The three-day long summit organised by the education ministry, concluded on Friday.
Singhal said the first day focused on assistive technologies, with presentations by AIIMS, ICMR, NCERT, IIT Delhi and several startups, showcasing innovations in devices and learning tools to support children with special needs. “Participants were encouraged to adopt and scale these solutions,” she said.
During the inauguration, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, stressed that inclusive education reflects a collective national resolve to ensure dignity, equal opportunity and a self-reliant future for every child. He called for screening and identifying 25 crore children, supporting their dignified participation in society, and using technology to enhance their abilities.
{{/usCountry}}During the inauguration, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, stressed that inclusive education reflects a collective national resolve to ensure dignity, equal opportunity and a self-reliant future for every child. He called for screening and identifying 25 crore children, supporting their dignified participation in society, and using technology to enhance their abilities.
{{/usCountry}}On the second day, the ministry presented updates on the Pre-Assessment Holistic Screening Tool (PRASHAST) app which is aimed at easing data entry and improving implementation at the field level.
“The platform-based training for teachers on inclusive education would begin by end-March, followed by structured module-based training,” Singhal said while
announcing a five-day, eight-module national training programme for general teachers, urging states to nominate master trainers to strengthen inclusive education across the country.
The third-day of summit was focused on government policies and initiatives for inclusive education. Various states shared
best practices for inclusive education, including Andhra Pradesh’s autism centres, with 125 centres planned, and initiatives by Haryana and West Bengal. The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) outlined steps to expand special educator training and professional courses.