Assessment of the Implementation of Inclusive Education Scheme in the State of Punjab

Abstract

The right to live with dignity and self-respect as a human being leads to a continuous analysis of policies and services aimed at marginalised sections. The development of a nation is contingent upon education that contributes to the holistic development of a person irrespective of its gender, caste, religion and socio-economic background, with or without any disability or challenges. The inclusion of children with special needs (CWSN) is seen in terms of physical access, social access and quality of access as the key interventions suggested under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). To achieve the goal of inclusion, SSA in different states has adopted different approaches for preparing CWSN for schools. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of inclusive education in the state of Punjab. The evaluation of inclusive education was done in 12 out of 22 districts of Punjab. A total of 66 primary schools and 59 CD blocks were covered. To seek answers to the queries made in the stated objective interview, schedules-cum-questionnaires were administered to the concerned personnel during the field study. The data collected from numerous sources required simple statistical treatment such as frequencies and percentage.