Doing disability research in a southern context

2010/ED/EFA/MRT/PI/21

Background paper prepared for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2010

Reaching the marginalized

Education of children with disabilities in India
Dr. Nidhi Singal 2009

This paper was commissioned by the Education for All Global Monitoring Report as background information to assist in drafting the 2010 report. It has not been edited by the team. Theviews and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and should not be attributed to the EFA Global Monitoring Report or to UNESCO. The papers can be cited with the following reference: “Paper commissioned for the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010, Reaching the marginalized” For further information, please contact efareport@unesco.org

Education of children with disabilities inIndia A background paper for GMR 2010

Dr. Nidhi Singal Lecturer in Inclusive Education

Contact details: Faculty of Education University of Cambridge 184 Hills Road Cambridge CB2 8PQ UK

E mail: sn241@cam.ac.uk

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Table of contents

Disability estimates in India: an overview Current educational status of children with disabilities Policy developments: historical review and currenttrends SSA and its focus on CWSN Identification of CWSN Issues of access and enrolment Nature and severity of disability Type of school attended Provision of aids and appliances Process based issues Training of teachers Resource teachers Home Based Education Increasing role of the Non Governmental sector Early Childhood Education State level variations in educational provisions Critical reflections:concluding thoughts and future possibilities References

5 7 8 12 13 15 16 18 23 25 25 27 29 30 32 33 35 39

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List of Tables

Table No.

Title

Page number 13 17 24 26 28 30

Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6

Identification of CWSN Enrolment according to the type of disability Distribution of aids and appliances Teacher training on IE in SSA Number of resourceteachers for IE under SSA CWSN provided through HBE

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List of Acronyms
AIE CWD CWSN DEPP DISE DPEP ECE EGS HBE ICDS IE IEDC IEP MHRD MSJE NCERT NCPEDP NFE NGO NPE NSSO NUEPA PAB PIED PWD RCI RECOUP SC SSA ST TLM TN UP Alternative and Innovative Education Children with Disabilities Children with Special Needs Disability, Education and Poverty Project District Information System for EducationDistrict Primary Education Programme Early Childhood Education Education Guarantee Scheme Home Based Education Integrated Child Development Scheme Inclusive Education Integrated Education for Disabled Children Individualised Educational Plans Ministry of Human Resource and Development Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment National Council for Educational Research and Training National Centrefor Promotion of Employment for Disabled People Non Formal Education Non-Governmental Organisation National Policy of Education National Sample Survey Organisation National University of Educational Planning and Administration Project Approval Board Project Integrated Education of the Disabled Children People with Disabilities Rehabilitation Council of India Research Consortium on EducationalOutcomes and Poverty Schedule Caste Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Schedule Tribe Teaching Learning Materials Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh

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Disability estimates in India: an overview Disability is a multi-dimensional and complex construct and there is no single universally accepted, unproblematic definition of disability. Not only do definitions differ across countries but these also differ and changewithin a country with evolving legal, political and social discourses. It is very difficult to find reliable data about the prevalence of disability in India. In general, the search for a single prevalence rate is an illusion, and the range of estimates, and their varied origins, makes it difficult to say very much with assurance about people with disabilities. The two main large data-sets are the...