Demand for inclusive education on the rise but experts call for change in societal attitude – Yurika.R

With the push for inclusive education from the Union government under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, the demand has only grown in schools in the city.

In an effort to bring up resilient children, the Redwood Montessori School in Besant Nagar has taken a different approach by combining group therapy in the form of art and differential learning under the Harbour programme.

Started three years ago, through therapy, be it group or individual, the school has created a safe space for the children to express themselves in creative ways.

“Recently, the children watched the film Inside Out 2 and were able to connect with the emotions portrayed and draw parallels to their lives. They were inspired to create new, potential characters based on the emotions they experienced. The idea through Harbour is to help children make sense of what is going on in their minds, their emotions, and their lives in a way that is meaningful to them.” said Andrea Nirmal, school psychologist.

Founder of Redwood Montessori School Madhura Visweswaran said, “It was the culture of the school which was able to foster a programme like Harbour.”

Stating that it has been a constant struggle to take in more children with different needs, Ms. Andrea added, “The other component of Harbour is to bridge learning gaps in children with different needs. In the primary section (2-6 years) the Teachers and Learning Support Teacher for the students help them while a Special Educator helps them in the elementary class (6-12 years).”

The scene is similar in most schools across the city when it comes to admitting more disabled children. The Montford Matriculation Higher Secondary School in St. Thomas Mount, which has been following inclusive education for the past 17 years, had to increase the intake by one more in kindergarten classes this year. “We received over 300 applications this year for 20 seats as we limit five special students to a class,” said Stephen Xavier, principal of the school.

The students are assessed by the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities in Kovalam and by the in-house specialist too. “Each student is assigned a shadow teacher and they have a specialised curriculum with occupational, speech and physiotherapy. After Class 8, the student is transferred to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) system for which they are given training,” explained Mr. Stephen.

In Agarwal Vidyalaya and Junior College, Egmore, the disabled children are given their first period as exercise, according to C. Vijayalakshmi, principal.

For R. Sasikala, a parent of a child with 50% disability, inclusive education has brought in a lot of change for her daughter, who recently passed her SSLC examination from Chennai High School, Kottur. “She wasn’t able to speak and maintain eye contact. Today, she is more social and can manage small chores at home. She is now pursuing a course in the Industrial Training Institute in Chennai,” she said.

However, experts in the field point out that there is a need for a lot more sensitivity in society. Stating that children’s socialisation has improved and they receive more exposure, S. Jayalakshmi, Coordinator Family-based Rehabilitation, Vidyasagar said, “The mainstream teachers should also know the learning style of the special needs children and take them forward and not just leave it to the special educator.”

Agreeing with her, inclusion expert of Montford school Sujatha Sriram said, “The first problem has always been architecture. While most schools are willing to accept disabled students, they are not ready to make any architectural changes. Further, there still exist an attitudinal barrier in society to admit a special child into a regular school.”