DoE to Deploy Rehabilitation Para-Professionals in 7 Special Schools

The Delhi Directorate of Education on Tuesday said it will deploy rehabilitation para-professionals in the seven special schools it had taken over in line with the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act 2016 and National Education Policy 2020.

The development comes following discussions held in June in the meeting of the academic committee constituted to devise a plan for transition of students of seven special schools.

The meeting had discussed issues related to admissions, facilities, curriculum, among other pressing issues lacking in these schools.

The committee members on Tuesday unanimously decided to deploy rehabilitation paraprofessionals in all special schools, assess all children with disabilities, do their counselling, their parents’ and teachers’ counselling for smooth transition of students, deploy vocational instructors, provide teaching learning material and assistive technology, ensure regular training of the staff members, and organisation of parental counselling camps.

The meeting held under the chairpersonship of the director of State Council of Educational Research and Training was conducted to reconsider and redesign the pedagogical approaches and practices for students with disabilities.

In a second meeting in August, the committee finalised individualised school development plans for all seven special schools.

The DoE had in April taken over these special schools, which were managed earlier by the Department of Social Welfare, GNCT of Delhi, after the high court’s order.

The decision was taken after a petition was filed by the National Federation of Blind alleging that specially-abled children in these schools were lacking basic amenities.

The schools taken over by the DoE are the Government Nursery Primary School for Deaf and the School for Mentally Retarded Children in Mayur Vihar, the Senior Secondary School for Blind Boys in Kingsway Camp and the Middle School For The Deaf in Rohini Sector 4, the Lady Noyce Nursery Primary School For The Deaf in Nehru Vihar and Delhi Gate and the Government Senior Secondary School For The Deaf in Kalkaji.