Though undeniable reality is that every citizen of the country has the right to admission in a school of his/her own choice but National Convention of Youth and disabilities has expressed it’s concern over what it calls “inaccesabilities of schools to children with physical disabilities”. Since admission in schools to children with physical disabilities is also an issue of serious concern for the people concerned about child rights in Jammu & Kashmir also, the school education department in Jammu & Kashmir also needs to keep a close vigil over the admission of children with disabilities in both government and private schools keeping in view the fact that the no of special schools established for children with disabilities is very less in Jammu & Kashmir. Schools can’t deny admission to children with disabilities merely by telling them that they can take admission in special schools. Both government and private schools have to keep in mind that denying admission to children with disabilities is violation of the right to education act enforced in the country since 2009 and instead they have to be more flexible in granting admission to children with disabilities. Interestingly UNESCO in a report in 2019 has said that there is a gap between the Right to Education Act, 2009 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and the main question being asked now is that where children with disabilities have to seek admission and who would teach them. Challenges are significant as teachers teaching children with disabilities in special schools have to ensure that children with disabilities don’t get a sense of discrimination. To ensure that children with disabilities don’t feel discriminated, the teachers working in either special schools or other education institutions have to be trained to teach the children with disabilities in any school as it has been also noticed that experience of teaching students with disabilities is must.
Initiatives for the schooling of children with disabilities have not to be ultimately reduced to policy statements and government decisions but have to be implemented on ground to let the children with disabilities feel that they have right to admission in schools of their own choice. Never forget that youth with physical disabilities are occupying higher positions in key institutions of governance more in Jammu & Kashmir than any other part of the country.
More better it would be for the School Education Department to make schooling of children with disabilities part of bigger regular educational initiatives and in fact such an initiative even if taken in other states and union territories also would prove beneficial for the educational upliftment of children with disabilities. Initiatives for the schooling of children with disabilities have not to be ultimately reduced to policy statements and government decisions but have to be implemented on ground to let the children with disabilities feel that they have right to admission in schools of their own choice. Never forget that youth with physical disabilities are occupying higher positions in key institutions of governance more in Jammu & Kashmir than any other part of the country.
