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An unplanned visit to a school opened my eyes to an important problem

A couple of days back, I happened to visit a government-run primary school. Some unplanned sequence of events led to this visit. As I walked in, I heard peals of laughter filling the air with kids chasing each other. The school was in a rural area and had a sense of calmness that is quite rare to find elsewhere.

As I began walking around, a few kids ran up to me and greeted me, "Good Moorninng Saaar!" This sing-song style is quite typical of school children and brought a smile to my face.

I was here for the first time and they assumed that I am a new teacher. Can't blame the kids, as in their world anyone bigger than them in a school is most likely to be a 'Saar'.

I asked a couple of kids their names and in which class they were studying. They answered with confidence all the while beaming at me.

Amongst all the hustle and bustle, I noticed a stark contrast to the rest of the vibes in the school. A girl was sitting with her bag in a corridor. She seemed lost in deep thought.

Children and silence rarely go together and so she seemed like an outlier in my mind.

Intrigued by her meditative demeanour, I walked up to her to ask her name. She didn't look at me and appeared rather scared. I thought she didn't hear me and repeated my question. She gave me a few glances but no response.

Now, I began to get a bit concerned and looked around to see if anyone around could help me out. I asked a few kids about this silent girl. It was from them that I learned that she was a specially-abled child. Some of the other kids in the school laughed at her, while others kept their distance. They told me that she should have been in Class 8.

From afar, you might think of her as a studious kid preparing for the Board exams. She also seemed to be playful with the tiny tots. The kindergarten children loved it when she carried them and rotated. They might have felt it as a merry go round. From a distance, I thought she was silent. But I was wrong.

On closer observation, I realized that the silent girl was not all that silent. She was not sitting still. She was constantly speaking or should I say in a heated discussion. She seemed to be telling a story and also explaining something with keen interest. But there was no one in front of her. Probably none that I could see.

The Larger problem at hand in Schools

My mind immediately began zooming out to the larger problem at hand. This was one school in a rural hamlet. A child who needed special care but had none around her who could speak in her language.

I began to wonder about many other such children who might never even join the school. I felt that the teachers are also quite clueless with regards to how they should educate them. I wondered if the government could identify a well-trained teacher for special children. One teacher for a cluster of 15-20 schools/villages.

According to UNESCO, 75% of children with disabilities don't attend school in India. [1] The fact that I had seen one such girl implies that approximately 3 such kids have not even come to school.

A special curriculum is the need of the hour.

I tried a lot but failed to make this girl speak. I was trying to figure out if she can understand what I am telling her. I am not a professional in this field. But I wanted to try my best.

I picked up a chalk and walked into the class she was sitting in. I gave up asking her questions and began to draw straight lines. I indicated to her that she has to cross out every line I draw. To my surprise, she smiled. Then with some hesitation, she began to strike out the lines I drew. It was like a game for her.

I drew incomplete squares and triangles with dotted lines. She understood how to trace them out. From shapes, we moved to alphabets and finally, she told me her name - "AMMU." I clapped in joy and appreciated her efforts and her face now had a big smile.

The silent girl began to speak. She kept staring at me as if someone had finally given her the attention she was longing for. It was like, someone had made an effort to enter her world and communicate with her.

An activity-based learning system would be quite helpful for these kids.

The road ahead for equitable access to education

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 aims to protect disabled members. But the implementation of the same is far from enough. According to Dr Sanjay Parva, an expert in the wellness field, "Disability in India is still functioning in the realm of social welfare instead of a rights perspective."

We need a collaborative effort from civil society organisations and the government. Awareness about the rights of children with special needs has to spread.

One important scheme launched in 2015 was the Accessible India Campaign. Its aim is to make a conducive environment for Persons with Disabilities. In 2021, the government also launched a program to train ASHA workers as Divyang Mitras (friends of persons with disabilities).

We need to realise that, these children might be slow to learn. But with the right care and guidance, they will be able to support themselves.

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