43 percent of Children with Disabilities to Drop out due to Challenges in E-education

According to a survey conducted with 3,627 people, 43 percent of children with disabilities are planning to drop out of studies due to difficulties in taking online classes. The survey was conducted by Swabhiman, a community-based organization that works for the rights of persons with disabilities.

The survey was conducted in Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Chennai, Sikkim, Nagaland, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir in May. Among the participants were students, parents and teachers.

56.5 percent of students were set to continue their studies, while the remaining 43.5 percent intended to drop out.

86 percent of the children’s parents said they did not know to use technology; 81 percent of teachers said they did not have accessible material with them. The teachers also reported that 64 percent of children with disabilities (CwD) did not have smartphones or computers at home. 67 percent of the CwD students said they needed tablets or computers for online education.

As much as 74 percent of CwD said they needed WiFi support while 61 percent said they needed scribes, escorts, readers and attendants.

Based on the survey, a report was made which made detailed recommendations and suggested revisions. To start with, the report said that creating curricula that were suitable for different forms of disability was a necessity.

The report also suggested that education budgets ought to be corrected to suit the needs of CwD. In particular, it cited the importance of mid-day meals for their nutritional well-being, suggesting that this support should be continued.

The founder of Swabhiman said that all children with disabilities had different needs, and therefore should not be clustered into one group. “The current pandemic has the potential of leaving students with disabilities behind. If adequate measures are not taken urgently, they are likely to suffer irrecoverable losses in their quest for education and a life of dignity,” said Sruti Mohapatra, the founder of Swabhiman.

She added that alternate course material must be allocated with children with different disabilities. “Our recommendations include empowering students, teachers and parents so that they can play their roles more effectively,” she added.