Wanted: More ‘inclusive’ schools for special kids

Rithu Dravid | NT
Bengaluru

Parents of children with learning disabilities want more schools in the city that offer inclusive education without discrimination. They feel children have the right to feel valued, equal and be able to contribute to the social, cultural and academic life.

“The inclusive system provides a better-quality education for all children and is instrumental in changing discriminatory attitudes. These values, when fully embodied, bring out the best in everyone,” says Karyn Felsinger, who teaches at St Joseph’s Boys High School (SJBHS) in Bengaluru.

A few schools in Bengaluru have already adopted the inclusive system of learning. Children are supported and helped with special teaching methods and assistance in keeping up with the others in class. “I am speech and hearing impaired and I can lip read. I am enjoying the time studying together with my class and I feel one among them. My teachers or friends never discriminated against me. Instead, they always include me in all the shows and programmes”, says Saipriya (name changed), a student at a school in Varthur in the city.

Parents and class teachers are also a part of this journey and are often guided with various tips on how to accept and approach the issues of learning disabilities. Teacher and counsellor, Nisha De Souza, Sophia High School, Bengaluru, helps children with specific learning needs and says the school she is a part of has children with learning difficulties at all levels.

“The school provides continuous support till they graduate. In the higher classes, children with learning difficulties are guided and exempted from specific assessments permitted by the education board. We counsel such students to overcome emotional or behavioural issues,” says Nisha.

Though there are different opinions on the inclusion of special needs children in the mainstream education system, some mental health advisors feel it is a challenge for the child to study in a regular school and get special attention from the teacher. “It is a challenge from the child’s perspective. But on the other hand, the child studying in a mainstream school would help them feel ‘normal’ and allow them to engage in normal interaction and play,” said Kevin Simon, a mental health advisor.

When such children are placed in classrooms, assigning a dedicated teacher will certainly help these special children to deal with procedural tasks. Deens Academy in Whitefield accommodates children with slow learning conditions or even mildly autistic in the regular classrooms.

The school’s principal, Shanthi Menon, says: “If they still have special needs as they grow, their social interaction with peers reduces. It becomes the school’s responsibility to look out for them and help include them in groups.” Some Psychiatrists feel inclusiveness should be based on the Intelligence Quotient levels (IQ) of the children with special needs.

“Educating other children how to handle the inclusive child is equally important. The self esteem and confidence of special needs children have to be boosted rather than just include them in regular schools. Broad-based guidelines cannot be set regarding inclusiveness, rather in-depth guidelines should be framed by mental health experts and renowned child psychiatrists from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) or Christian Medical College (CMC) on inclusiveness in education. This will enable the schools to take in special need students in the mainstream based on the degree or retardation, level of performance and growth and the development of secondary sexual characters”, says Dr Kannan Gireesh, Psychiatrist (child behaviour and disorders), Founder and CEO, Live Life Education