Haryana rolls out plan to mainstream special kids

With a view to empowering children with special needs (CWSN), the Nayab Singh Saini government has put in place an institutional framework to implement the newly-notified ‘Haryana State Inclusive Education Guidelines-2025’.

Aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy-2020, the National Curriculum Framework for School Education-2023 and the Rights of Persons with Disability Act-2016, the guidelines endeavour to create schools “as compassionate ecosystems that celebrate diversity, ensure physical and emotional safety and dismantle barriers to learning.”

“The guidelines will establish a comprehensive framework for designing, implementing and sustaining inclusive education practices across all schools in the state. They will act as a catalyst for transforming classrooms into equitable spaces where every child’s right to a meaningful, balanced and empowering education is upheld,” a notification issued by Vineet Garg, Additional Chief Secretary (School Education), said.

The School Education Department, as the nodal agency, will collaborate with the other stakeholder departments, including health, social justice and empowerment and women and child development, to undertake “proactive initiatives” for the timely identification and support of CWSN. The guidelines are sought to be enforced through a robust legal and administration framework by developing “actionable plans with defined activities, timelines, resources allocation and stakeholder responsibilities”.

For effective implementation of the guidelines, nodal officers will be appointed by the Education Department. “No school shall remove a CWSN from its rolls without prior approval from the nodal officers, who must respond within 15 days of receiving the complete case,” the notification asserted.

The CWSN having physical (locomotor disability, visual impairment, hearing impairment and speech and language disability), intellectual disability (specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder), mental illness, chronic neurological conditions, blood disorder and multiple disabilities, would be among the categories to be covered under the new guidelines.

Meanwhile, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the Board of School Education, Haryana, will be asked to modify curricula to accommodate the diverse needs of the CWSN. The schools shall prepare Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for children with benchmark disabilities, including those under home-based education.

All schools shall be equipped with disabled-friendly toilets, ramps and barrier-free infrastructure, it said, adding that visual signage, Braille indicators and inclusive design elements shall be incorporated for better accessibility. Besides, resource teachers shall be appointed in accordance with Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) norms in designated resources centres and schools.

Haryana Tribune