Dr Parveen Singh
imparveen@yahoo.com
A child sitting quietly in the last row of a classroom, struggling to read the blackboard, hesitating to raise a hand and silently fearing ridicule is not an unusual sight. In another school, a child covers her ears because she cannot follow the teacher’s voice, while somewhere else, a child struggles to hold a pencil steady, watching classmates complete their work with effortless ease. For many Children with Special Needs (CWSN), school is not merely a place of learning-it is a daily test of courage, patience, and resilience. Yet, their dreams are no different from those of other children: to learn, to belong, and to succeed.
Across India, nearly 2-3 percent of school-going children live with some form of disability. Many remain unseen and unsupported, trapped by poverty, social stigma, or simple ignorance. The Right to Education Act, 2009, recognizes education as a fundamental right of every child, while the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, mandates inclusive education and equal opportunities. Together, these laws send a clear message: inclusion is not an act of charity; it is a matter of justice and dignity.
In a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir, a visually impaired boy once stopped attending school because he could not read textbooks or see the blackboard. Teachers assumed he was incapable of learning, and his family feared that education was beyond his reach. But when he was identified under inclusive education initiatives and supported through Samagra Shiksha, his life began to change. He received Braille learning material and academic accommodations, along with extra time and a reader during examinations. Slowly, confidence replaced fear, and hope replaced helplessness. Today, he attends school regularly and dreams of becoming a teacher. His journey is not merely a personal triumph-it is a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when institutions choose inclusion over neglect and empathy over indifference.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) plays a crucial academic and regulatory role in advancing inclusive education. While the broader framework of identification, support services and financial assistance for Children with Special Needs (CWSN) is implemented under the national programme Samagra Shiksha and the School Education Department of UT, JKBOSE has translated these objectives into concrete academic and examination reforms within its statutory mandate. The Board has introduced flexible subject options, curriculum adaptations and inclusive assessment mechanisms for CWSN students, along with examination accommodations such as extra time, scribes and readers, subject flexibility, fee exemptions and other notified concessions. At the academic level, suitable subject combinations, simplified learning outcomes, alternative modes of assessment and adaptive teaching strategies have been encouraged to ensure that students progress according to their abilities rather than rigid uniform standards. Significantly, the JK Board is working towards further expanding subject flexibility and alternative learning pathways for CWSN students, making the curriculum more responsive to their abilities, interests and functional capacities. Together, these reforms reflect a decisive shift from a one-size-fits-all system to a humane, inclusive and responsive educational framework, ensuring that disability does not become a barrier to learning but a condition addressed through institutional sensitivity and academic innovation. Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir has gradually nurtured a more humane academic culture. Teachers are being trained in inclusive pedagogy, differentiated instruction, and identification of learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Schools are encouraged to adopt barrier-free infrastructure, digital learning tools, and remedial teaching strategies tailored to individual needs. Evidence from inclusive education initiatives show that when CWSN children receive timely academic accommodation and emotional reassurance, their confidence rises, their performance improves, and their sense of belonging deepens. Behind every guideline and reform lies a silent transformation-a child who once avoided school now entering the classroom with hope, a parent who once felt powerless now witnessing progress, and a teacher who once felt unprepared now becoming a guide.
Yet, no law or scheme can succeed without collective human responsibility. For a CWSN child, a ramp is as important as respect, a scribe as valuable as self-belief, and an inclusive classroom as essential as acceptance by peers. Parents must overcome fear and social pressure to seek early intervention; teachers must look beyond marks to understand minds; classmates must replace mockery with friendship; and communities must abandon stereotypes that equate disability with inability. Society must realize that inclusion begins not in policy documents but in everyday attitudes-in the way we speak, teach, listen, and care.
The journey of inclusive education in Jammu and Kashmir shows that transformation is possible when law, policy, and compassion move together. Through the frameworks of the Right to Education Act, the RPwD Act, and Samagra Shiksha, and through progressive reforms in curriculum, subjects, and examination systems, the JK Board has demonstrated that inclusion can be institutionalized without losing its human soul. Supporting CWSN children is not merely an administrative obligation; it is a moral promise to the most vulnerable voices of our society. When a child who once sat silently in the last row finally raises a hand with confidence, it is not just an individual victory-it is the triumph of an education system that has learned to be humane. And when society stands beside its weakest children, it does not merely change their lives; it redefines its own future.
The author is Director (Academics) JK Board of School Education (JKBOSE).
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