A Four-Year Degree Programme Dedicated To Teach Children With Disabilities Unveiled

The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar launched the Integrated Special and Inclusive Teacher Education Programme (ISITEP) aims to create a skilled workforce of educators to teach children with disabilities. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes the need for multidisciplinary, high-quality teacher education programs for students with special needs.

The ISITEP is a 4-year integrated Bachelor of Education degree program designed to prepare special education teachers for different levels including foundational (up to class 2), preparatory (class 3 to 5), middle (class 6 to 8), and secondary levels (class 9 to 12).

The program aims to ensure that teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle the special needs of students with disabilities across various educational setups.

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A 4-year course of BSc (Hons) in clinical psychology was also launched by the minister. Students who have completed their class 12 with a science background become eligible to apply for the course.

The program will replace the discontinued MPhil in Clinical Psychology and aims to produce assistant clinical psychologists.

Both the newly launched programs expect to fill a critical gap in specialized education and healthcare, foster inclusive growth, and expand opportunities for students pursuing careers in these fields.

In India, there are several provisions for the education of disabled children including Integrated Education for the Disabled Children (IEDC), Samagra Shiksha, and CBSE provisions. To meet the range of educational needs of students in primary and post-primary schools, the provisions include mainstream classes in mainstream schools, special classes in mainstream schools, and special schools.