In a move aimed to benefit the deaf and those with hearing disabilities, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) inked a pact with the Indian Sign Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC) on Tuesday to come up with resources to standardise the Indian Sign Language to prepare inclusive academic material for persons with disabilities.
The agreement was signed on the occasion of the 60th foundation day of NCERT.
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said : “This new initiative by the NCERT and ISLRTC for the specially abled children, especially for those who cannot hear or speak, will help to guide them along with the rest of the students in terms of education.”
Officials said that the priority will be to convert textbooks into the Indian Sign Language for Classes 1 to 5 and later for Classes 6 to 12. ISLRTC will provide the educators, interpreters and resources for this task.
As per the census 2011, there are 50, 71,007 deaf people and 19, 98,535 with speech disability in India.