Our nation is not behind any
other nations in making laws and programmes for the development of the nation
especially for mainstreaming the vulnerable sections of the society. The present day ingredients of developmental strategies
such as Right based approach, people’s participation and bottom up planning are
fundamentally part of any such initiatives by the state. But it is least concerned
about the ground level preparation necessary for implementation, supervision
and follow- up measures for rectifying the shortcomings.
All that prompted me to
write is about the experience when I visited few schools in the rural villages
of Gorakhpur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The main purpose of my visit
was to discuss the possibility of involving the parents of children with
disability in the School Management Committee (SMC) that Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
envisaged to form and function to ensure quality education with the
participation of the community.
I was not surprised to hear
from the head of the school that SMC happens ‘only on paper ’and no other heads of the schools had a different story to
present. They openly agreed all that the government wants to practice is ideal
but practically difficult to implement. They say that it is known to the whole
education department and neither the parents wish to bring about a change in
the situation. It amused me to think of
my purpose of visit to modify a system that does not exist at all. How can
they include the people I want in a committee that is not functioning? Or what
is the use including somebody as part of a committee that is not working for
the real intent of its formation?
It was more interesting to
see how children attend the class and attain their Right to Education. There
was something to my amazement finding a single teacher ‘educating’ all the
children from more than two classes (eg. Class one, two and three together).
All the children were (in all the four Primary schools I visited) sitting on
the floor together. Luckily the teacher
could find a chair and table to keep the teaching aids (a chalk, stick,
attendance register and a notebook). I
did not discuss with the teachers the possibilities of Teaching Learning
Materials for educating Children with Disabilities as it would be a fun for
them rather than a matter of serious concern.
I also wanted to talk about
making the school building accessible for Children with Disabilities and making
the toilet accessible. Before that I
decided to see the present design of the toilet. To worsen the situation none
of the school had a toilet where a human being can enter and use. The squalid
and dismal condition of such toilets would make a person curse the Creator for
giving a biological need that necessitates privacy and proper way of disposal.
Some of the toilets were incomplete construction without urinal for boys. Some
of the toilets were locked for long time where creepers had covered whole
structure.
Inclusive education, making
barrier free environment for the Children with Disabilities, preparing teaching learning materials, making toilets with
universally accessible design were my purpose of visit that I could not discuss
with the teachers in the midst of the most wretched conditions children attend
classes. It was depressing to see children sitting with blank expression
on face, teachers ‘running’ the school and parents unaware or unmindful of the
miserable days of their children and apathy of the education department that
spend millions of rupees for basic infrastructure in the schools and quality
education.
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