Shakuntala Misra University gets infra boost
LUCKNOW: Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University (DSMRU) got an infrastructure boost as governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath jointly inaugurated a number of amenities for divyang (differently abled) and general students at the university’s seventh convocation here on Monday.
A life-size bronze statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a Bharat Ratna recipient, was unveiled and a gallery based on his poetry opened for the public on the occasion. The governor and the chief minister said Vajpayee’s statue will continue to inspire students to excel in life.
The amenities that were inaugurated include a barrier-free stadium for differently abled students, a college for the deaf to provide vocational education, artificial limb and rehabilitation centre and inclusive school for differently abled and general students.
At the inclusive school, disabled children will study with other students in a barrier-free environment. The school will accept children with special needs from class 6 to 12 after which students can seek admission in the university for higher studies.
“Disabled and other students, after passing the class 5 examination elsewhere, may seek admission in our special school and study from class 6 to 12. It will be a fully residential intermediate college where disabled children will study, stay in the hostel and eat at the mess. It will be a unique experiment,” said Amit Singh, registrar of the university. He said it had been observed that children with special needs performed better if they studied in inclusive schools.
The barrier-free stadium will allow differently abled students to take part in various sporting activities, both indoor and outdoor, said vice chancellor Prof RKP Singh.
The artificial limb and rehabilitation centre will provide amputees and other differently abled students with artificial limbs for which, otherwise, such students had to go a long distance and spend extra money.
To improve employability of hearing-impaired students, the university has set up the first college for the deaf in the state capital. The college will offer bachelor of vocational education (B Voc) course for the hearing-impaired students by introducing employment relevance into the learning process, he said.
The media of instructions here will be sign language. The course will help students pursue higher studies and simultaneously hone their skills. As general academics were not fetching the youth adequate jobs, a need was felt to provide vocational education to students that would improve their employability, a university official said.