JOIN USExperts fear that schools will begin forcing children with disabilities to stay at home with the “study from home” clause passed under the RTE amendment bill by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
This amendment adds children with disability to the definition of “disadvantaged groups” and will now be a part of the 25 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Section category, under the Right to Education Act.
The bill has given special benefit to children suffering from autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities of choosing to study from home.
However, experts believe the amendment has brought good and bad news simultaneously. “While the good news is that other forms of disability are now included in the admission criteria, the bad news is that the severe disability clause – where children will be entitled to home-based care – will give schools an excuse to keep children at home and defeat the purpose of inclusive education. It becomes a slippery slope here,” said Anjela Taneja, education co-ordinator, Oxfam India.
Experts believe that schools will start terming many disabilities as severe in the absence of a proper definition. “The home-based education, followed in some schools at present, is supposed to act as a bridging gap. But it has failed because children get to study only twice a week and a child is deprived of studying with mates who attend school regularly,” added Taneja.
Radhika Alkazi, founder director, Aarth-Astha NGO echoed similar views lamenting that choices cannot be exercised by parents who are helpless. “This amendment will have huge repercussions on children with disabilities. Schools will happily push these children out of schools. Children will be stuck at home. On what basis has the government added this flexibility where a fundamental right is being violated? This is not path-breaking but sad. Also, they have not included special schools,” she said.
Shireen Vakil Miller, director, advocacy and policy, Save the Children NGO said: “Unless children with disabilities explore the world with normal children, they will not be motivated to compete with them or gather strength to overcome their disabilities.
Children learn better with their peers. The government should ensure that there are enough special educators in schools to take care of such children. It is also necessary to ensure that there are special educators in schools and disabled-friendly infrastructure.
They further allege that the RTE Act has now become a “basket of contradictions.” “This is just a beginning. The challenge will begin when we get down to implement the clause effectively,” said Bhuvan Ribhu, an advocate and member Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
Advocate Ashok Agarwal recommends that the RTE in its current form “needs further amendments to include children who are between three to six years old and excluded groups like street children and child labourers.”