INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN HIMACHAL PRADESH: A NEW LIGHT OF HOPE TO STREAMLINE CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Abstract

This paper is focused on inclusive education in school education system. Students in an inclusive classroom are generally placed with their chronological age-mates, regardless of whether the students are working above or below the typical academic level for their age. Also, to encourage a sense of belonging, emphasis is placed on the value of friendships. Teachers often nurture a relationship between a student with special needs and a same-age student without a special educational need. Inclusion settings allow children with and without disabilities to play and interact every day, even when they are receiving therapeutic services. When a child displays fine motor difficulty, his ability to fully participate in common classroom activities, such as cutting, coloring, and zipping a jacket may be hindered. Most students with special needs do not fall into these extreme categories, as most students do attend school, are not violent, do not have severe sensory processing disorders, etc. In developing contexts with large numbers of out-of-school children, inclusive education tends to be more broadly concerned with school access and education deprivations for marginalized groups such as girls, ethnic minorities, poor families and disabled children who have never attended or dropped out of school. The author tried to describe the major barriers to inclusive education for transforming school education system concerned with teachers, parents, education system and society. The Govt. is contributing in inclusive education at elementary level through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The benefits of inclusive education also being highlighted in the paper based on experience and research.