By Prashant Agarwal
Literacy is not the mere essence of getting educated but, it is a sense of attaining a dignified status in the society and getting effectively conscious of your personal rights towards a much more sustainable society. With the adjust in the complete program post COVID-19, the complete curriculum and the institutional landscape has observed a sea adjust with altering pedagogies, adjust in the job scenarios and adjust in the general functionality across the complete education infrastructure. While the complete education fabric has exposed a enormous adjust for the population belonging to the mainstream section of the society, the differently abled section of the society have skilled social inclusion via favorable policy frameworks. Along with this, ‘Skill Development’ on the other hand has played a substantial function in building brighter and improved possibilities for the differently abled section of the society.
As per the 2011 Census (Updated in 2016) in India out of the 121 Cr population, 2.68 Cr persons are disabled which accounts to about 2.21% of the total population. The total differently abled population as per 2011 Census (updated in 2016), 1.46 crore are literate which accounts to about 54.5% of the total population whereas, 1.21 crore are not literate. According to the information associated to the gap in capabilities coaching released by Census 2011, 104 million new staff would have to have capabilities coaching and 298 million of the existing workforce would need added capabilities coaching by 2022. This clearly highlights the gap and the scope of skilling the human capital by upskilling them via Skill Development Programs / Trainings or Vocational Trainings in a field of their decision.
According to the ‘Household Social Consumption: Education in India as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey – from July 2017 to June 2018’ it states that Kerala has 96.2% literacy price whereas Delhi has the most effective literacy price at 88.7%, followed by Uttarkhand’s 87.6%, Himachal Pradesh’s 86.6 per cent and Assam’s at 85.9%. As per the survey Rajasthan is the second worst performer with literacy price at 69.7%, followed by Bihar at 70.9%, Telangana at 72.8%, Uttar Pradesh at 73% and Madhya Pradesh at 73.7%.
In rural places, the literacy price is 73.5% compared to 87.7% in urban places of the nation. As per the Census of 2011, the Literacy prices by the form of disability in India was 49.3% on 2001 whereas that in 2011 was 54.5%. The literacy and education status for people today with visual imarity or diability in seeing was 49.8% in 2001 and 52.8% in 2011, for people today with speech disability was 36.2% in 2001 and 59.6% in 2011, the literacy prices for the ones with hearing disabilities was 43.2% in 2001 and 58.3% in 2011. This shows a graph exactly where the literacy prices have been jumping upwards showcasing the wish and the acceptance of people today who are differently abled to be educated.
The status of literacy and education amongst the differently abled has been completely promoted by the government as there have been many schemes that have been launched by the Government and Private Organisations for the upliftment of the differently abled neighborhood.
The Divyangjan Swavalamban Yojana Scheme for Persons with Disabilities was launched to help the needy disabled persons by offering concessional loan for financial and general empowerment. This scheme was launched for the differently abled who wished to commence any activity contributing straight or indirectly in the revenue generation or assisting Persons with Disabilities (PwD) in their general method of empowerment.
AICTE : Saksham Scholarship scheme for Student with Disabilities is a MHRD Scheme getting implemented by of AICTE aimed at offering encouragement and assistance to specially abled young children to pursue Technical Education. This is an try to give every single young student, who is otherwise specially abled, the chance also study additional and prepare for a productive future.
Written Exam Compensatory Time for persons with disabilities – UGC: All the candidates with benchmark disabilities who are eligible for availing the facility of scribe in terms of recommendations IV may possibly be permitted addition time of minimum of one particular hour for examination of 3 hours duration irrespective of whether they use the facility of scribe or not.
Other schemes that have been launched for building a sustainable livelihood for the differently abled are Loan facility to visually impaired by Housing Finance Companies, Withdrawal of pension by Persons with Disabilities, old and sick incapacitated pensioners, Banking Facility for Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens (RBI Circulars), Professional Tax Exemptions for Persons with Disabilities (Tamil Nadu), Income Tax Deductions for Persons with Disabilities (2019 Update) and a lot of much more.
Considering the a lot of schemes that have been launched by the government organizations have opened their doors to recruit the differently abled as much more and much more have been focused on getting skilled. According to the report on Disabled Persons in India-A statistical profile 2016, the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2006), recognizes that, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) are beneficial human sources for the nation. The policy seeks to make an atmosphere that delivers equal possibilities, protection of their rights of the differently abled along with complete participation in the society. Another initiative is the one particular below PMKVY which has been supplying ability certifications. The sole objective of this initiative was to allow a huge proportion of youth in India to take up market ability coaching for securing a improved livelihood.
Skill Council for Persons with Disability (SCPwD) is one particular such organization that was developed with a National Vision of skilling Persons with Disability and supplying them meaningful market relevant ability primarily based coaching.
On the day of celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), Narayan Seva Sansthan is inviting people from all more than India for absolutely free ability improvement courses so that they can lead a improved life in mainstream society with equal respect and chance devoid of discrimination.
(The author is President of Narayan Seva Sansthan. NSS is a non-profit organization serving differently abled and underprivileged people. Views expressed are individual.)