A society can be judged by, on how they treat their less privileged members. Though the right to Education Act (RTE) made simple steps in catering to the needs of special children and those with disabilities, there is a big gap between theory and practice. The condition of children with syndromes like autism, dyslexia and ADHD which are often insensitivity mentioned in common parlance as mental retardation, needs urgent involvement of the government both at Central and state levels. Every year, in India around 30,000 to 35,000 children are estimated to be born with Down Syndrome. Despite this, social acceptance is hard.
Unless you have a family member with such disabilities or are familiar with any friends who are parents to such children, it is almost incredible to understand, the struggle which they go through.
Many private schools refuse to admit children with such conditions, despite the RTE Act, and the only choice is to resort to the National Institute of Open Schooling. Lately, the Supreme Court directed the government to inform the norms and standards of pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) for general and special schools, and ad adjustment to the RTE Act has been proposed. According to it, schools must appoint one special education teacher for every 10 children with disabilities studying in classes 1 to 5 and 15 children with disabilities studying in 6 to 8, which will help in their presence in the mainstream educational ecosystem.
Though this move is admirable, in a country where private schools get away with rejecting admission to special needs children, how much of the above will be applied is to be seen. It needs to be compulsory that every private school has a required quota of students with disabilities and teachers to provide for their needs, as per the Supreme Court directive.
Children with disabilities are a part of society and should not be moved to special schools. How will other children learn about sympathy and inclusiveness if they remain isolated from the realities of the world? And why should a disabled child be deprived of the opportunity to play? Depression, stress and anxiety are very common among children with conditions like autism and dyslexia.
The purpose of education for disable children is not to prepare them for competitive exams, but to prepare them for life. The social humiliation attached to Down Syndrome and its many alternatives should be addressed on a war footing. If a society cannot guarantee fundamental human rights to its members, then it doesn’t deserve to call itself civilized. Parents will not be there forever, and when these children become adults, they should be able to lead a self-dependent life of dignity.
