Kolkata: The West Bengal Samagra Shiksha Mission organized a three-day workshop to prepare a roadmap for the development of Children with Special Needs (CWSN) and to foster an inclusive educational environment. Additionally, the State School Education Department sent a requisition to the School Service Commission to fill vacant positions for special educators.Dipak Barman, the school education minister, said, “Our approach and mindset toward these students must change to provide them with a better atmosphere and truly inclusive education. They are an integral part of our society and do not require sympathy, but equal opportunity.”Additional chief secretary of the school education dept, Binod Kumar, said, “The dept has already adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and we are currently aligning the entire curriculum with its guidelines. This workshop provides an opportunity to evaluate the status of inclusive education and set our priorities. Through mutual discussion, we will carve a path toward delivering better access and higher quality education to CWSN children.” He added that the dept has already taken steps toward inclusive education by identifying key areas for improvement, including teacher training, curriculum design, assessment methods, and overall infrastructure. Future developments will depend on the proposals generated during the workshop.
