Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, APRIL 11
With the view to develop a regional strategy on inclusive education and promote an increase in the presence, participation, access and achievement of children with special needs (CWSN) in mainstream schools, a five-year project called RAISE (Regional Action on IncluSive Education) for North East India is set to be launched in Nagaland on April 12 at Kohima.
The project looks to complement the programme of SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA) on inclusive education to improve the quality of education for children with disabilities in government supported schools in selected districts of five NE states- Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura. RAISE NE is being supported by three international agencies (INGOs) namely, the ChristoffelBlinden Mission (CBM), Light for the World and Liliane Fonds (Jan VikasSamiti in India), who have a strong presence in the NE and had conducted a situational analysis on the status of inclusive education and the capacity of organizations supported by them in the five states.
Informing this at a press briefing this evening at Hotel Japfü, RAISE NE project director Bibhu Dutta Sahu highlighted that the objectives of the partnership are to provide technical support to selected government/SSA schools for inclusive education, to build capacity of the teachers for teaching CWSN, to regularly monitor the selected school and ultimately shape them into model schools, and strengthen the partner NGOs to be developed into resource centres for inclusive education.
He also explained that the major activities to be conducted under the project besides building capacity of partner organizations and enhancing teacher competence in inclusive education, are advocacy for attitudinal change among all stakeholders, development of teaching/learning materials and other innovative teaching aids, and documenting and disseminating innovative approaches including good practices among several others. On the challenges that are currently faced, Sahu mentioned the breaking of barriers in attitude of various stakeholders towards ownership of inclusive education and low support from the government sector. The project will also give special focus on improving child safeguarding, school safety and gender equality, he added.
He also informed that the project was already launched in Meghalaya and Tripura, and with the launch in Nagaland on Tuesday, Assam and Manipur will follow soon.
RAISE NE Inclusive Education coordinator, Sweet Syiemiong explained that there are altogether 15 NGOs under the project and the partners will choose the SSA schools. She said the first two years of the project will likely involve training of teachers and exchange programmes of teachers to other partner organizations. At the end of five years, we are looking to build a strong resource hub out of the partner NGOs for collaborating and promoting quality inclusive education and research, she stated.
RAISE NE’s Nagaland partner NGO is Cherry Blossoms, a Kohima based registered society and an educational institution that works on inclusive education. The headmistress of the school, Purnima Kayina who was also present at the press briefing, informed that the organization will, under the project, network with five government schools in Kohima covered under SSA- GMS Aradura, GPS TsiepfüTsiepfhe, LerieChazou GPS (CWSN), GMS Porterlane and GPS PR Hill.
On Tuesday, the launching of RAISE NE for Nagaland will be graced by Secretary for Social Welfare, Dellirose M Sakhrie as the chief guest and Deputy Commissioner Kohima Rovilatuo Mor as the guest of honour.
