Nagaland: Improving learning outcomes by enabling Inclusive Education workshop

Our Correspondent
Kohima | February 15

A three-day workshop on ‘improving learning outcomes by enabling inclusive education’ for the district inclusive education coordinators and inclusive education resource persons got underway at the Directorate of School Education (DoSE), Kohima on February 15.

This workshop is organized by Nagaland Education Mission Society (NEMS), Samagra Shiksha, Nagaland under Learning Enhancement Package 2022-23.

Speaking at the inaugural programme, Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE), chairman, Asano Sekhose said that the policies of the government opened up avenues for integrated education, now referred as Inclusive Education to provide education to every child in need.

She told the workshop that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 defines Inclusive Education as a system of education wherein students with and without disabilities learn together and let system of teaching and learning is suitably adopted to meet the learning needs of different types of students with disabilities. In Inclusive Education, all students regardless of any challenges are placed in age appropriate general education, she said.

Inclusive Education needs to be integrated 

Sekhose said that National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandates full participation of children in regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education. Inclusive Education needs to be integrated in the school education set-up, the classroom to reach out to all categories of children, she stated. Sekhose stressed on the need to come up with strategies for inclusivity to impact learning for all.

Also touching on the main objective of LEP (Learning Enhancement Programme), she said the same is to identify the learning gaps and equip students with core learning prerequisites appropriate to the particular grade.

This intervention helps in improving the learning outcomes of children having learning gaps which are caused by various reasons - some of which are learning loss due to Covid-19 pandemic, learning loss due to socio economic condition of students, and also learning gaps due to learning disabilities, inadequate foundation, she said.

It is for continuing the learning process for ALL children, including Children with Special Needs (CWSN), she said.
She said that Samagra Shiksha Nagaland has chosen Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as the most appropriate resource for helping ALL children.

Meanwhile, Sekhose encouraged the Inclusive Education Resource Persons (IERPs) from Samagra Shiksha to take this training down to the schools they visit and train the teachers in those schools, so that UDL is understood by all and ALL students can benefit from it, not just CwSN.

Roohi Sharma, Senior Programme Manager, Changeinkk Foundation, New Delhi also delivered short speech. Earlier, the inaugural function was chaired by Dr. Chumbeni Kikon, Joint Mission Director, Samagra Shiksha, Nagaland. The resource persons/teams for the workshop includes; Masarrat Khan, Dr Asunu, Sol’s ARC and Samagra Shiksha IE team. 

With Changeinkk Foundation as the role of facilitation, the workshop will continue till February 17.