Context
Over the past two decades, India has made some commendable progress in advancing the education of children with disabilities, shifting from practices of exclusion and segregation to a legal and policy framework that prioritises inclusive education within government schools. Anchored in legislation like the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Right to Education Act, 2009, this transition signals a strong national commitment to equity and inclusion.
However, India is still home to over 65 lakh children with disabilities aged 5 to 19 years, 39% of whom have dropped out of school and 12% have never attended an educational institution. Although the legal framework emphasises inclusive education, mandating that children with disabilities learn alongside their peers in an environment adapted to their needs, implementation remains fraught with challenges, ranging from inaccessible infrastructure to inadequately trained educators. The real challenge lies in bridging the gap between policy frameworks and their operationalisation on the ground.
This report critically assesses the implementation of inclusive education policies across five pivotal areas: early identification and intervention, disability certification, accessibility of educational institutions, capacity building for educators, and reasonable accommodations for children with disabilities. The report identifies significant gaps in implementation, such as inadequate infrastructure, insufficient training and capacity-building initiatives, lack of awareness among key stakeholders, fragmented coordination across agencies, and weak accountability mechanisms. These barriers hinder the ability of children with disabilities to access and thrive in inclusive educational environments.
Scope and Methodology
The report focuses on government schools in India, which serve as the primary avenue for education for economically disadvantaged children with disabilities, covering children aged 0–16 years. It employs desk-based research and semi-structured stakeholder interviews, including parents, educators, disability rights activists, and government officials, to examine gaps in the system and propose actionable solutions.
Key Challenges
Three systemic issues emerge as recurring challenges throughout this analysis:
- Limited awareness: Key stakeholders, including Anganwadi workers, educators, school administrators, and government officials, often lack clarity about their roles and responsibilities in implementing inclusive education.
- Inadequate capacity building: Training on inclusive education and professional development programs are either insufficient or poorly targeted, leaving stakeholders unprepared to meet the diverse needs of children with disabilities.
- Fragmented coordination: The siloed functioning of government departments and agencies results in inefficiencies, overlaps, and missed opportunities to deliver holistic support to children with disabilities.
Way Forward
The report presents a comprehensive implementation roadmap to address the systemic barriers in inclusive education for children with disabilities. Grounded in evidence and stakeholder insights, our recommendations align with rights-based frameworks and promote inter-sectoral collaboration. With a focus on scalable, sustainable, and practical measures, the roadmap ensures that the recommendations address root causes, bridge the gap between policy and practice, and empower children with disabilities to thrive in inclusive learning environments. The roadmap features immediate and long-term recommendations, such as:
- Strengthening Early Detection Systems: Integrating tools like PRASHAST and scaling up training for Anganwadi workers and educators to identify and address developmental delays early.
- Improving Disability Certification Processes: Streamlining procedures for obtaining certificates and ensuring broader dissemination of information to families and communities.
- Enhancing Infrastructure and Accessibility: Establishing inclusive schools with accessible buildings, transport, and learning aids, coupled with regular monitoring.
- Building Educator Capacity: Introducing robust pre-service and in-service training modules for educators to handle diverse needs, supported by special educators in schools.
- Ensuring Holistic Accommodations: Ensuring comprehensive provision of reasonable accommodations to address the diverse and individualised learning needs of children with disabilities in all educational contexts.
Conclusion
This report envisions a future where inclusive education transcends mere compliance with legal mandates to become a deeply embedded, sustainable cultural norm. Achieving this transformation will require coordinated efforts by all stakeholders—governments, schools, communities, and families alike. By implementing the recommendations outlined herein, India can transform its inclusive education framework from aspirational policy to a lived reality, ensuring that every child with a disability has the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive and equitable educational ecosystem.
Filed Under
About the Authors
Sagarika is a Research Fellow with the Disability Inclusion and AccessTeam. She graduated from NLSIU, Bangalore in 2019 with a B.A.LLB(Hons). Prior to joining Vidhi, Sagarika was a Fellow with Teach forIndia, where she got an opportunity to engage with varied stakeholders on the effective implementation of policy in the education sector. Shehas also worked with the Competition Law Team at Shardul AmarchandMangaldas & Co., where her work focused on legal and regulatory issues in the ambit of antitrust laws. Her areas of interest include education reform, child rights and the intersection between social inclusiveness and regulatory public policy.
Somya is a Research Fellow with the Disability (Inclusion and Access) Team at Vidhi, New Delhi wherein she primarily focuses on inclusive education for children with disabilities. She graduated from Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, Lucknow in 2022 with a specialization in Constitutional law. Prior to joining Vidhi, she worked as a LAMP (Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament) Fellow to a Rajya Sabha MP. During her fellowship, she worked on matters related to representation of marginalized communities, accessible healthcare, inclusive education, and poverty and unemployment in Bihar. She assisted her MP in drafting four Private Members’ Bills on parliament productivity, private sector reservation, prevention of custodial torture and fraternity. Her interests lie in social policy including the rights of children and disadvantaged groups. In her free time, she likes to dance and read about politics and women centric issues.
