More visually-impaired children now going to schools: Study

11.06.2016, LUCKNOW: There was a 17.36% rise in enrolment of visually challenged children in schools between 2002 and 2009, NCERT's eighth all-India school education survey has revealed.

With 40,635 students, Maharashtra had the highest number of visually challenged students in schools, followed by the country's most literate state Kerala with 38,230 students.

The survey revealed that visually impaired accounted for 29.16% of the differently abled students in the country. There were 2.5 lakh visually challenged students among 8.35 lakh differently-abled.

Also, there were 25% students with orthopaedic (locomotor) disability, followed by intellectual impairment gripping 22.35% school students. Around 14% students were hearing impaired, 4.40% had multiple impairment and 4.77% other disabilities.

The survey shows that in 2002, there were 2.07 lakh students with visual impairment in schools.

From 2002 to 2009, the number of visually challenged children going to school increased by 36,031. Whereas, hearing, orthopaedic and intellectual impairments came down by 3.98%, 68.05% and 15.59%.

The reasons for a significant increase in visually challenged students needs further investigation, Y Sreekanth, who heads NCERT's educational survey division, said.

"Increased health check-ups in schools could be one of the reasons for high number of students with visual impairment,'' he added.

Likewise, the drastic decrease in orthopaedic impairment, said Sreekanth, could be due to the pulse polio programme.

After Maharashtra and Kerala, West Bengal had 27,386 visually-impaired kids. Gujarat and Karnataka came next with 23,637 and 17,358 school children with visual impairment.

The survey regarding schooling facilities for children with disabilities revealed that out of a total 12,99,902 schools in the country, only 2,74,445 (21.11%) adhere to inclusive education for disabled children.

Of these, primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools adhering to inclusive education were 1,65,966 (60.47%), 77,757 (28.33%), 18,084 (6.59%) and 12,638 (5.07%).

The number of teachers, who had received training of at least two weeks in inclusive education, was also dismal. Only 1.32% teachers were equipped to handle special children, which is 80,942 out of 58,76,273 teachers.