STATUS OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS: REVIEWS ON CHALLENGES AND REMEDIATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CHANDIGARH

In the past few years, focus on children with disabilities has resulted in greater awareness and increased sensitivity towards these children. Central and State Governments have taken a number of initiatives to improve the enrolment, retention and achievement of children with disabilities. Research conducted earlier has evident that there are three important areas to be focused upon which are structural and environmental modifications, social and policy changes and lastly improved institutional resources. Inclusive education in Government schools of Chandigarh is largely facilitated by centralized scheme SSA & RMSA now merged into single scheme called Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. This paper is an attempt to highlight the status of inclusive education including challenges and their possible remediation from the perspective of various stake holders of inclusive education functioning in Chandigarh. School structure in Chandigarh involves model and non model schools excluding private schools. Stakeholders of inclusive education basically are the group who can even be called as prosumers includes CWSN children, peer group, both general and special education teacher, head of the school or Principals and supportive staff. To begin with head of the school, principals acknowledges the role of resource room in effective implementation of inclusive education involving children with disabilities whereas they require some orientation about legislations and schemes such as universal design of learning and differential instructions. Some schools in Chandigarh still do not have barrier free infrastructure. Support extended by administration is adequate but teachers should be indulged more into capacity building programmes. Interaction between general and resource teachers need to be improved for better coordination. CWSN studying in these schools have admitted that they enjoy and participate in various classroom activities. Adequate arrangements for therapeutics, medical care etc to be made for CWSN at School as well as for home based education. Efforts to be made by the CWSN In-charge towards adapted curriculum best suitable for the CWSN.