Survey reveals 43% students with disabilities mulling to drop-out

Nearly 43 per cent of children with disabilities are planning to drop out of school by 2021 due to the challenges of online education, a recent survey revealed. The survey which was conducted by community-based organisations, Swabhiman, in 3,627 respondents questioned disabled children about education in the ‘new normal’.

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As per the survey, about 56.5 per cent of children with disabilities were struggling yet attending classes irregularly while 77 per cent said that they wouldn’t be able to cope and lag behind due to inability to access distant learning methods. The survey which was conducted in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Chennai, Sikkim, Nagaland, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir found out that only 56.48 per cent students were planning to continue their studies in the coming year, while rest 43 per cent were planning to dop out.

Out of those who are visually impaired, 39 per cent admitted that they failed to understand online lessons due to multiple people speaking simultaneously. While another 44 per cent said that there were no sign language interpreters present in webinars. In addition, it found that parents of 86 per cent children with disabilities said they did not know how to use technology and around 81 per cent of teachers said they did not have accessible educational material with them.

On the other hand, teachers revealed that 64 per cent of students did not have smartphones or computers at home. Whereas 67 per cent of students reported the need for computers or other comparable devices for online education.

Requires policy changes 

Apart from the data, the survey also made detailed recommendations to policy changes and revisions required in the new normal in times of COVID-19. The reports emphasizes on harnessing alternative mediums such as community radio and television for education. Also, it emphasized the continuation of mid-day meals as hundreds of children depended on the government provided food for nutrition.

 “Creating curricula which are suitable for different forms of disability is a non-negotiable and the starting point for any education for the children with disability,” the report advised.

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Representative image, credits: Unsplash