Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 1

Over 60 participants from various institutions and different parts of India collaborated on virtual platform for knowledge sharing and assimilation with the best experts of the country during a three-day national online workshop on “Addressing Students with Sensory Impairments Single and Dual Sensory Impairment” concluded on Friday.

The sole aim was to remove the learning barriers and implement teaching-learning strategies for children with sensory and multiple disabilities.

Prof Saroj Sharma, chairperson, NIOS, New Delhi, in her valedictory address congratulated the team of School of Education for such capacity building endeavours for teachers, administrators and stakeholders for setting a future roadmap for an inclusive education.

She shared that the definition of disability had undergone change from divyanjanas to the differently abled persons. She spoke on the challenge of inclusive education as envisaged by NEP 2020, voiced in the 2030 Millennium Development Goals and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD), a UNO forum to include divyanjanas into the mainstream education. The concerns from framing of the educational policies, outreach programmes and skill development programmes for self sustainability need to be addressed. She also shared the innovative initiatives undertaken by NIOS under Pradhan Mantri schemes and sign language programme.

Joseph Puthenpura, secretary-cum-coordinator, Saint Francis Home, Pathankot, inaugurated the workshop. Saint Francis Home is home to a large number of disabled students with the vision of educating and empowering the children for the main stream.

Speaking on the occasion, he emphasised that the success of inclusive and equitable policy was contingent on the availability of trained special teacher educators. Compassion, commitment and love on the part of teacher educators can go a long way to accept and respect differences.

He reiterated on the importance of sign language, speech therapy, voice training and vocational training, besides hygiene training. He extended gratitude towards Guru Nanak Dev University for taking the initiative in introducing higher education courses in the campus for the differently abled students.

Prof Amit Kauts, project coordinator, shared the theme, objectives and schedule of the programme with the participants. Dr Deepa Sikand Kauts, head, department of education of the university emphasised the need to implement inclusive practices for the enhanced development of social and academic skills.