Practices and challenges of implementation:
The implementation of the RTE Act 2009 and the RPWD Act 2016 has started with the judiciary playing a key role in interpreting provisions and giving directions to the executive. However, the outcome is mixed due to lack of awareness of legal rights and entitlements of CWDs, lack of accessibility of grievance redressal mechanisms, and lack of a coordinated enforcement mechanism for implementation. Even though the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) and the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) are taking measures to prepare teachers for inclusive education, there is a need for continued investment and flexible planning.
The attitude of parents and teachers towards including CWDs in mainstream education is crucial to inclusive
education. Development of inclusive practices requires flexible curricula and availability of appropriate resources. Accessible physical infrastructure, school processes, assistive technologies, information and communication technology (ICT) and devices are essential. However all these continue to remain challenges.
School-based assessment can help gauge the learning needs of diverse children and plan modifications in curriculum and instruction.
Early detection of developmental delays and timely intervention in early childhood are not yet widespread, due to infrastructural and capacity limitations at Anganwadis, local bodies responsible for early childhood development. Prevalent data systems require streamlining to improve availability, validity and reliability of data.
Governance-related issues such as poor provisioning for education of CWDs, disparities in access, and lack of effective coordination between different stakeholders persist, owing to multiple layers of functioning and the scale of the problem. Inadequate allocations, delays in releasing funds and underutilization of allocations remain key challenges.