‘Project Inclusion’ to improve learning outcomes for neurodiverse students in Indian schools

By India Education Diary Bureau Admin On Sep 27, 2024

Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) and SBI Foundation’s three-year programme has trained 3,60,000 teachers pan India and is now working with all 1,254 Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
Indian policymakers discuss the role of Artificial Intelligence and ICT, and implementation of provisions of NEP to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) for inclusive education in India
Interactive sessions with representatives from National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), Government of India, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), and Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to discuss teacher development

New Delhi: Project Inclusion, a key initiative of The Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) has successfully implemented teacher training and development in collaboration with the SBI Foundation. The teacher training project – aligned with the NEP’s focus on inclusive education, provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, and India’s 2030 SDG4 goals – set out to train teachers and special educators in schools through capacity building, access to technology, expertise, and support systems. Project Inclusion has successfully trained 3,60,000 teachers pan India, and now will be working with 1,254 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across all 36 Indian states and Union Territories, in order to create an environment for children with diverse learning needs to study and learn in regular classrooms.

The successful implementation was celebrated through an event attended by Smt. Nidhi Pandey, IIS, Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Smt. Kesang Yangzom Sherpa, IRS, Member Secretary, NCTE, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Sudesh Mukhopadhyay Ex-RCI Chairman, Smt. Radhika Purohit, Integrated Learning Mission, SBI Foundation Shri Sanjay Tripathi, Director International Development and Monitoring and Evaluation, Australian Council for Educational Research, Dr. Simmi Mahajan, Chief Program Officer, Project Inclusion, Sri Aurobindo Society.

Major barriers in creating an inclusive education ecosystem in schools include lack of awareness and identification of neurodiverse students, training and professional development of teachers to engage such students and the lack of technological infrastructure. Over two days (26 and 27 September 2024), senior policymakers, education leaders, and education experts from NCERT, CBSE, NCTE, RCI, KVS, IGNOU, NIEPA, Department of Education (CIE)- Delhi University, National Trust for the Handicapped, TISS, ACER, LADY IRWIN DU college, Gateway School Mumbai, Piramal Foundation, Shruti Foundation, AWES and Army Institute of Education (Greater Noida), committed to advancing inclusive education in India deliberated on ways to make Indian schools better equipped to support the learning needs of neurodiverse students. Participants shared insights, strategies and possible solutions across developing curriculum framework, evaluating teacher competencies, teacher training and capacity building, global best practices, role of Artificial Intelligence and Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the need for dedicated regulatory bodies for regular and special educators.

The event acknowledged key stakeholders and participants who contributed to the success of the project, and felicitated principals, teachers and officials who have undergone the necessary technical and behavioural change training and are remediating students in the classroom with diverse learning needs.

Speaking at the completion ceremony of Project Inclusion, Smt. Kesang Yangzom Sherpa, IRS, Member Secretary, NCTE, Ministry of Education, Government of India, said, “NCTE is committed to inclusive education. We want to create inclusive training programs that help both teachers and students and create truly inclusive classrooms through ITEP, NMM and NPST. Technology is going to be key for taking NMM at scale and reach out to teachers in the remotest areas of the country.”

Dr. Simmi Mahajan, Chief Program Officer, Project Inclusion, The Sri Aurobindo Society, said, “We are delighted to celebrate this milestone for Project Inclusion that aims to make Indian schools more equipped to impart education to students in all 36 Indian states and UTs. with diverse learning needs and make them feel truly included. Project Inclusion aims to bring about systemic changes and create a whole system that is built to serve the teachers, students and the school authorities. Our aim is to pull out all stops – knowledge-, technology – and behaviour-related –to ensure that every child across India has access to quality education. We have been very fortunate to have the faith of partners such as the SBI Foundation who are aligned to our goal and have enabled a project of this scale covering the length and breadth of the country.”

“At SBI Foundation, we believe that each child deserves the opportunity to excel. Our work is focused on supporting the disadvantaged and those in need of resources and opportunities. Project Inclusion’s vision of reaching all teachers and students across India is aligned to our philosophy and we are glad that our collaboration has been able to scale the program to a national level.”, said Smt. Radhika Purohit, Integrated Learning Mission, SBI Foundation.