Schools to have ramps, customized toilets, special teachers to promote inclusive education: Javadekar

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar today visited the 116 year old Kamala Mehta Dadar School for the Blind in Mumbai, where he reiterated Government's commitment for inclusive growth and welfare of the disabled .

The minister specifically insisted on calling them differently abled or Divyaang as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After interacting with students of the school and witnessing their varied talents, Javadekar said "the visit to this 116 year old institution has given me new energy to work for inclusive development".

He said the Government at the Centre is committed to the uplift of dalit, poor, downtrodden and marginalized people as part of its 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' motto.

Stating that 'accessible education' or 'sugamya shiksha' is an integral part of the New Education Policy to help disabled empower themselves, Javadekar added that under the Sugamya Shiksha scheme, the schools will be provided with ramps to facilitate easy access and movement, customized toilets, necessary teaching aids and financial support to appoint special teachers.

Javadekar said 46,000 differently abled children are enrolled in schools in Maharashtra, and remarked that all the remaining children should be mapped and brought into the schooling system. "The confidence which you get through education works as a spring board for success in life" he added.

The Minister complemented the efforts put in by special teachers of the school for imparting multiple skills like painting, singing, embroidery, stitching and even computer programming to the students.