Special: Regular schools for special kids?

NO BARS: To feel a part of the school, the special children should mix with other students, say experts.

        

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Keywords: Discrimination, Children

CNN-IBN had reported on four-year-old Vishesh Gupta born with a congenital defect, that in medical terms is a neurogenic bladder-- which means he cannot pass urine without using a cathetar.

Vishesh was denied admission in a play school, Mother’s Pride because the school authorities thought that the tube was scaring other children and so Vishesh should be removed from the school.

A CNN-IBN special show Celebrating Our Children asked the question: Should children with congenital defects attend regular schools?

To discuss the question were parents of a special child, Rahul and Tullika, principal, Modern School, Goldy Malhotra and head, department of paedritriatics, Dr Veena Kalra.

Differently abled children have different challenges. To ask them to sit in a class of 40 children and perform which is regardless of their illness or their disability or malformation, is inhuman. So it is right to ask them to do the same kind of work as normal children?

Rahul said that as long as the brains of the differently abled children were functioning well then they were to be considered normal.

“If only for the disability of my child, I will lock him at home then how will he get education? How will he learn?” questioned Rahul.

Rahul was also of the view that if the doctor had done his best to treat his son, Arjunoday who had anorectal malfunction, then Arjunadoy also deserved to get the best education.

So how did Arjunadoy behave when interacting with other children?

Rahul said that he interacted with other children in a very normal manner and one wouldn’t know that he was a special child in his actions.

So do specially abled children need inclusive education or are schools willing to change the behavioural set up to accept them?

Goldy Malhotra said that even if the schools were not prepared to allow admission to special children, the time had come for them to be prepared for the same.