A complete rehabilitation of disables implies an access to educational facilities and vocational training to ultimately enhance employment chances
A complete rehabilitation of disables implies an access to educational facilities and vocational training to ultimately enhance employment chances
Educational programmes in the distance mode provide flexibility, remove the physical dimension to attaining quality education and are capable of giving a degree which would otherwise debase them in the regular course of study.
. Even after remaining outside the regular classroom, such courses may empower them with higher educational qualifications.
Distance learning courses do enhance credentials for better and brighter job prospects for the physically challenged as much as regular courses and thus are gaining popularity by the day.
.IGNOU takes the fore in institutionalising the attitudinal shift regarding the opportunities that persons with physical challenges are entitled to. The programme for special education seeks to assist the students confronting hearing, visual and mental challenges.
Its approach is embodied in the courses that people can now study with the objective of understanding and working towards making special education inclusive. Some of the new courses offered are post-graduate diplomas and certificate programmes.
These include:
- Professional diplomas , Post Graduate Professional courses and M.Ed. in special education
- M.Sc. in counselling and family therapy
- Certificate course in special education for early childhood aiming at inclusion
Such courses as journalism and media, gender and development studies, actuarial and management along with other academic disciplines focus on empowering them with vocational expertise.
Teaching methods are flexible and the varsity’s integrated multimedia instructional strategy consists of printed materials, audio-visual aids, educational radio and TV, teleconferencing and video conferencing. Counselling sessions are given face-to-face which operate through a network of study centres throughout the country.
Scholarships and awards
For many of the courses, the physically handicapped candidates admitted to IGNOU are also eligible for a Government of India scholarship. This can be done collecting the scholarship forms from their respective state governments, or from Directorate of Social Welfare or Office of the Social Welfare Officer. The filled-in forms have to be submitted to them through the Regional Director concerned.
The aim of these programmes is to mould the educational system in a way which assists individuals in examining their goals in life and deal with relationships around them.
Provision of higher education can help to empower the disables, make them financially secure and aware of their rights. The twin aim of modernity and economic progress can be achieved along with establishing social discipline and conservation of essential human values.
The IGNOU tree
IGNOU has earned a reputation of an open learning model of education, which is also the largest in the world with 636000 students enrolled. The entire aim is to “take higher education to less privileged and marginalized sections of society" at a reasonable cost.
IGNOU, with an impressive 2.5 million students, a national network of 61 regional centres, over 3,000 learner support centres and a presence in 36 countries can provide social inclusion of disabled students and lead to democratization of education. These students can now get the best of education from their rich course contents offered by the university.
