One hundred twenty students were enrolled in a special camp organised by the Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) at Doon hospital on Friday. The camp is organised every year by the IEDSS under the aegis of Rashtriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) to find the type and percentages of disabilities in the students of Classes IX- XII in the district.
The District Coordinator of IEDSS Rakesh Kala told The Pioneer that certificates are issued to the eligible candidates that help in these students getting the scholarships and other benefits from State and Central Governments.The National disable person act ‘1995 cites blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, locomotors disability, autism, Cerebral palsy, mental retardation, speech impairment and learning disability as different types of disabilities. Kala said that students from 213 schools of six blocks of the district participated in the camp.
The camp had eye, orthopedic and other experts so that on the certificates are handed over to the differently abled children. Some of the parents who accompanied their wards were unhappy with the arrangements of the camp. Gajendra Singh Tomar a resident of village Manjgaon of Chakrata said that his daughter Kiran is a student of class XI and he has spent a large amount of money on her treatment but in the camp she was asked to undergo all sorts of medical tests for certificate. He said that the officials should ensure that such camps are held at block level so that the disabled children are spared the ordeal of coming to Dehradun.
The district had 123 disabled children enrolled under the IEDSS programe last year out of which 99 students are receiving a scholarship of Rs 600 per year.