Page 250 - EducationWorld November 2020

Cover Story EW SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2020-21

INDIA’S MOST RESPECTED SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOLS

To compile the 2020-21 league table of dedicated special dorses non-discrimination in schools,
needs schools, C fore field personnel interviewed 485 accessible infrastructure, reasonable
accommodation, individualised sup-
parents of children with disabilities and special needs port, use of Braille and Indian Sign
educators in six cities. They were asked to rate dedicated language in teaching. The policy
schools on ten parameters of education excellence document mandates recruitment of
special educators with cross-disability
training and incorporates disabilities
awareness within teacher education.
In EducationWorld, we have been
advocating inclusive education and
enabling environments for CWSN ab
initio. For instance, way back in 2011,
special needs education was selected
as one of 14 parameters for rating and
ranking India’s Top 1,000 schools in
the pioneer annual EducationWorld
India School Rankings (EWISR).
“Schools that don’t provide enabling
facilities for CWSN are penalised in
EWISR,” says Premchand Palety,
promoter-CEO of Centre for Forecast-
ing & Research Pvt. Ltd (C fore) which
conducts field surveys to provide the
perceptual data for the annual EW-
ISR which over the past decade, has
evolved into the world’s most de-
tailed and largest primary-secondary
schools survey. Moreover since 2015,
TABIS’ Piya Marker: 4/10 parameters top score the country’s schools dedicated to ed-
ucating severely challenged children
ccording to Unesco’s State nurtured and enabled to transform have been ranked separately.
of the Education Report for into a distinguished theoretical physi- To compile the 2020-21 league ta-
AIndia 2019 — Children with cist, cosmologist, author and profes- ble of India’s Top 25 dedicated special
Disabilites — India grudgingly hosts sor of mathematics at Cambridge needs schools, C fore field research-
7.8 million children with disability — University (UK) is Dr. Stephen Hawk- ers interviewed 485 parents of CWSN
a gross under-estimate. The Mumbai- ing (1942-2018). Dr. Hawking was and special needs educators in six cit-
based ADAPT (formerly Spastics Soci- enabled by UK’s supportive education ies. They were asked to rate and rank
ety of India) estimates the number of ecosystem to make huge contributions special schools on ten parameters of
children with special needs (CWSN) to advancement of theoretical physics education excellence — teacher wel-
at 20 million. and space science. fare and development, competence of
Be that as it may, informed opinion Unfortunately, although post-in- faculty, quality of program, rehabili-
is unanimous that the country’s large dependence India has also produced tation, co-curricular education, indi-
number of CWSN have been chroni- distinguished scholars and scientists vidual attention to students, leader-
cally short-changed by the education with severe disabilities, they have ship/management quality, safety and
system. This despite educators consis- succeeded despite unsupportive envi- hygiene, infrastructure provision and
tently unanimous that with minimal ronments, not because of them. How- value for money.
additional facilities and attention, ever, the National Education Policy This year, The Aditya Birla In-
special needs children can be trans- (NEP) 2020, proclaimed in end-July, tegrated School, Mumbai (TABIS,
formed into highly educated and pro- acknowledges the Rights of Persons estb.2014) promoted by philanthro-
ductive citizens. A prime example of with Disabilities Act, 2016, and its pro- pist Neerja Birla, which was ranked
an individual with disability who was visions for inclusive education. It en- #3 last year, has been voted the coun-

250 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2020