Inspiration
Schools in Kolkata welcome children with disabilities with open arms
6 schools are blazing a trail in Kolkata by providing an inclusive learning experience to children with disabilities. Though the fees are higher in some schools, they arrange for special educators, provide special infrastructure and ensure that the students complete their education.
It is often heart-breaking in itself to have a physically or a mentally challenged child in the family. It makes matters worse when it becomes difficult to integrate the child in the mainstream due to lack of educational facilities or refusal by existing schools to give them the attention they need.
The good news is that Kolkata is fast awakening and its proof lies in the opening of close to 6 schools in the city offering inclusive education. These schools allow children with physical disabilities and disorders like dyslexia, autism, down syndrome and cerebral palsy to study in mainstream schools under the guidance of special educators.
Akshar is a non-profit school started in 1998 and one of these 6 schools. Akshar has grown to have 520 children out of which about 100 are those with special needs. The teacher student ratio is a very comfortable 1:10 and the emphasis is on preparing children with special needs to be a part of mainstream society.
Principal Noni Khullar says "Children with down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, who don't necessarily have to match with the academic levels of other children. They have been brought into the school for social integration. We feel it is their right to be included in a mainstream school to go into mainstream society. If they don't come into a mainstream school how are going to be ready to face mainstream society."
These children are given a fair chance to cope with the ICSE syllabus till class V. If however, they cannot cope, there are provisions for them to pass their board exams through the National Institute of Open School.
Additionally, the school also offers special skill training programmes and the Open Basic Education for slow learners in accordance with the government-run Sarvo Shiksha Abhigyan. Akshar boasts of being the city's only school to be affiliated with ASDAN, UK, where children with special needs can get social, health and IT related skill training to assist them in gaining employment.
"In terms of infrastructure, you need ramps, lifts, and sensitivity amongst parents, teachers and students. Initially there is always a denial for this because nobody wants to believe there is something wrong with any child," says Seema Sapru, Principal of Heritage School which also believes in inclusive education.
The Heritage school has 3,000 students of which 110 are children with additional needs. Though the fee structure is higher for these children, the school provides them an invaluable experience of being a part of regular activities of the school. In some cases, arrangements are made for special educators to assist children with disorders.
While it gives their children an exposure to a normal environment, it also helps to sensitise normal children to be more open to the differently-abled. After all it is the growing years that shape the lives of every individual and strengthen them to conquer their fears before they walk out into the world