There
is increase in the enrolment of persons with disability (PwDs) students in
higher education, as per the All India Survey on Higher Education, MHRD.
The following schemes/facilities have been launched
to enhance the representation of the differently-abled students in Higher
Education:-
1.
Upgradation
of existing Polytechnics to integrate the Persons with Disabilities (PwD): The objective of the scheme is to
promote education and training of persons with disabilities by integrating them
in the mainstream of technical and vocational education and skill development
programmes through formal and non-formal programme.
2.
Higher
Education for Persons with Special Needs (HEPSN) – The scheme, implemented by UGC,
has the following three components:
i.
Establishment
of Enabling Units for PwDs. Resource
Units are established in colleges to facilitate admissions, provide guidance
and counseling, to create awareness about the needs of differently abled
persons and to assist PwD graduates to get the employment.
ii.
Providing
Access to PwDs: Under
this component, accessibility are addressed by the college relating to issues
as per the stipulations of the Persons with Disability (PwD) Act, 1995.
iii.
Providing
Special Equipment to augment Educational Services for PwDs: The colleges are provided one
time grant upto Rs.1.5 lakh to procure devices to help PwD students enrolled
for Higher Education.
3.
Teacher
preparation in Special Education Scheme (TEPSE): The scheme, implemented by UGC,
provides financial assistance to offer B.Ed. and M.Ed. degree course with specialization
in one of the disability areas.
4.
Financial
Assistance to Visually Challenges Teachers (FAVCT): The objective of the scheme,
implemented by UGC, is to provide facility to help visually challenged
permanent teachers to achieve self-dependence by using various aids for
teaching, learning and research.
5.
UGC also
provide relaxations to PwDs in the National Eligibility Test.
6.
Saksham
Scholarship Scheme: The
Scheme is implemented by All India Council of Technical Education the objective of the scheme is to
provide encouragement and support to 1000 differently abled students to pursue
technical education in a year, fulfilling the eligibility criteria mentioned in
the scheme.
7.
Reservation
in admissions: UGC
has issued instructions to all universities and colleges for providing 3%
reservation (horizontally) in admissions for PwD students.
8.
Facilitating
PwD students under Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Integrating PwDs in the
mainstream of Technical and Vocational Education: The Ministry of HRD has issued
instructions to the Heads of all polytechnics covered under the above Scheme
that no fee of any kind should be charged from the PwD students. However, the
Polytechnics, if required, may charge only examination fee from these students
that too when the students get their Scholarship amount.
9.
The Ministry
has also directed all Centrally Funded Educational Institutions/Autonomous organizations/attached
offices in Ministry to ensure providing barrier free environment in the
buildings, which would include provisions of ramps, rails, lifts, adaption of
toilets for wheel users, brail signages and auditory signals, tactile flooring
etc. to PwDs, as envisaged in PwD Act.
10.
Expert
Committee constituted to identify the courses according to the categories of
disabilities: The
HRD Ministry has also constituted an Expert Committee to identify the courses
according to the categories of the disabilities as identified for the various
technical posts and the recommendations of the committee have been circulated
to all the Centrally funded Institutes/Autonomous organization/attached offices
for implementation.
This information was given by the Union Human
Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Irani in a written reply to the Lok
Sabha question.
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DS/RK/HIGHER
EDUCATION