NEP & SPECIALLY ABLED?
As the Jammu and Kashmir Government is all set to implement New Education Policy (NEP) in the Union Territory, the big question which comes into mind is whether helmsmen have worked in the direction to ensure equal opportunities to students having special needs as earlier the situation used to be sordid and deplorable in the region. There is no doubt that the framework of the NEP has a lot to offer to the students having special needs as reportedly barrier-free access to education for all children with disability is the latest provision made in this new policy. Reportedly, the NEP is formed considering children with disabilities and those from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds. Going by the claims of helmsmen, the major focus in executing this new policy will be primarily on two points which include imparting knowledge and knowhow to teaching faculty on how to teach children with specific disabilities and to provide barrier-free education to children with disability in accordance with Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWDA) 2016. Although on paper the things seem to be quite easy but on ground such changes require lots of effort, dedication of stakeholders, adequate funds, know-how to change the present scenario and will power to bring the desired change. Historically, J&K’s disabled students were deprived of some of the important provisions which other states and union territories provided to their disabled students and therefore making things work in J&K is a herculean task as there are bottlenecks which need to be removed to provide the specially-abled students what they deserve. Albeit, it has been assured that to facilitate this new addition made in the NEP, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and language-appropriate teaching-learning materials will be made available, and high-quality modules to teach Indian Sign Language, and to teach other basic subjects using Indian Sign Language will be developed but to make these things happen, a lot of efforts are required and the big question is whether J&K has completed the home work or still things are hanging in balance? It is the need of the time that the government should work on ensuring that the children with benchmark disabilities shall have the choice of regular or special schooling. The J&K Government has an excellent record of accomplishing things in record time and therefore it is expected that NEP will be rolled out in precisely perfect manner giving hopes to specially-abled to conquer the world.