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Need for Evaluation
The children with visual
impairment in India, at present, receive education mainly under three systems
viz. residential schools, semi-integrated education and integrated education.
The residential schools and integrated education programmes have covered
only 6 percent and 2 percent of school age children respectively. The remaining
92 percent do not receive any form of education whatsoever.
The select few i.e. the
children who receive any form of education do not get the opportunity,
freedom or choice to follow the professions of their choice. They have
to perforce go along the beaten track. I felt that an evaluation of students
who have studied under different systems of education would provide valuable
insight into the comparative effectiveness of the system and whether they
been truly prepared for 'life'.
Methodology
An analytical, descriptive
and non-experimental primary research was carried out as a part of my doctoral
thesis to determine the effectiveness of the different systems of education.
The target group was personally administered a structured and pre-tested
questionnaire.
Target Group: The study
covered 130 children with visual impairment - 50 from integrated education,
26 from semi-integrated education and 54 from residential schools. Only
such child who fulfilled all the six criteria given below was covered in
the study. The selected child was:
- totally blind or had light
perception only,
- studying in the 4th, 5th
and 6th grades,
- with congenital visual
impairment or had acquired visual impairment in early childhood,
- studied in the same system
throughout,
- between 10 to15 years
of age,
- able to read at least
three character vernacular braille.
Parameters for Evaluation:
Based on review of literature, primary research on different systems of
education and views of leading educators, five parameters for evaluation
were identified. These are:
- Extent of coverage of
special groups
- Level of social integration
- Achievement in braille
reading
- Extent of social maturity
- Level of concept development.
To ascertain the extent
of social integration, various tests administered to the target group were:
- Tooze Braille Speed Test
- Vineland Social Maturity
Scale
- Mani'sTest of Concept
Development, and
- Socio-metric devices.
Results
Coverage of Specific Groups
The study sought to test
as to how effective different systems of education have been in respect
to providing equal opportunities to specific groups such as:
- girls with visual impairment,
- younger children,
- students with congenital
visual impairment,
- students who had not taken
any treatment, and lastly
- children from less-educated
families.
Girls with Visual Impairment:
Integrated education enrolled 48 percent girl students as compared to that
27 percent in semi- integrated education and 14.8 percent in residential
schools. Integrated education is thus the most effective in coverage of
girls, whereas residential education is the least effective in this respect.
Integrated education extends almost equal opportunities to the boys as
well as girls with visual impairment and there is thus gender equality.
The overall performance of all the three systems of education collectively
reflects gender discrimination as for every 7 boys only 3 girls have been
enrolled.
Younger Children: Integrated
education enrolled 62 percent children below 12 years of age in 4th to
6th standards as compared to 38.5 percent and 51.85 percent in case of
semi-integrated and residential education respectively. In case of semi-integrated
education, the highest proportion of children (61.5%) are above the age
of 12 years. Residential education covers almost equal proportion of children
below 12 years (51.85%) and above 12 years of age (48.15%). Integrated
education is comparatively more effective than residential education in
respect to coverage of younger children; residential education in turn
is more effective than semi-integrated education.
Students with Congenital
Visual Impairment: Integrated education covers the highest proportion (43.8%)
of students with congenital visual impairment. In general also, the coverage
of such children is almost two-third of the total coverage. Residential
education is most effective in respect to coverage of children with adventitious
visual impairment (56.1%).
Level of Treatment: Semi-integrated
education is the most effective in enrolling the children who have already
undergone ophthalmic intervention (96.2%), followed by residential education
(90.7%) and integrated education (80%). As a system of education has no
role to play in promoting appropriate medical intervention at the time
of on-set of visual impairment, this observation does not lead to any definite
and relevant conclusion.
Family Occupation: Majority
of the students (43.1%) belong to farming and farm labor families. At least
53.6 percent of them have been enrolled under integrated education. As
integrated education aims at enrollment in a nearby regular school and
the child continues to stay in the family, there is better scope for covering
each and every child with visual impairment in the village. Integrated
education thus has advantage of location which attracts children whose
families are occupied in agriculture and rural crafts.
As residential education
is an urban phenomenon, only such parents who are aware of the existence
of residential schools and are willing to avail educational opportunities,
would get their children enrolled in such schools. In case of semi-integrated
education, as the child is required to stay away from the family in an
urban centre, the enrollment of children from the farming families is lower
(42.3%) as compared to that of integrated education (60%).
The variation in the family
background of children enrolled under different systems of education is
primarily due to their location, access of the child to the system and
the level of awareness of the family. I have observed that the family background
has hardly any role to play in respect to effectiveness of a particular
system of education.
Level of Social Integration
The study also sought to
evaluate the extent of social integration of the children studying in different
systems by listing the number of friends that the children have whether
those are with visual impairment or sighted; and whether they participate
in variety of active or passive activities. The children studying in semi-integrated
system score the highest and those under integrated education the least.
No. of Friends: On an average,
a child under semi-integrated education has 7.11 friends as compared to
5.66 and 3.96 in case of residential and integrated education respectively.
Similarly, a child in this setting has 4.11 sighted friends as compared
to 3.72 and 2.42 in case of integrated and residential education respectively.
It emerges the most effective system in respect to fostering friendship
of students with other children. Integrated and residential education are
least effective in respect to the total number of friends and sighted friends
respectively.
A child in a residential
setting has 3.24 friends with visual impairment as compared to 3 in case
of integrated education which renders the former most effective in this
regard. An integrated child has only 1.26 friends in the neighborhood which
is lower than that of 2.23 and 2.29 in case of semi-integrated and residential
education respectively. Integrated education, contrary to the common belief
that it would promote social acceptance of a child in the neighborhood,
is the least effective in this regard.
With an average of 4.69
friends, semi-integrated education turns out to be the most effective as
regard fostering friendship of pupils with visual impairment with fellow
students whereas integrated education with an average of 2.54 friends is
the least effective in this respect. The development of friendship with
the relatives in case of all the systems of education is extremely poor
as only one out of eight children with visual impairment developed such
friendship.
Performance of Activities:
Both in terms of active as well as passive activities, the performance
of residential education (5.12 activities) is comparatively better as compared
to semi-integrated education (4.65 activities) and integrated education
(2.48 activities). Residential education is the most effective and integrated
education the least effective in this regard. About two-fifth of integrated
children do not perform any passive activities as compared to one-fifth
and one-eighth in case of semi-integrated and residential education respectively.
There is not even a single
child under integrated education who is performing more than 4 either passive
or active activities, whereas 24 percent and 19.2 percent children in case
of residential and semi-integrated education respectively fall in this
category.
Semi-integrated education
is the most effective as regard acceptance of pupils with visual impairment
among their peers and neighbours. Residential education emerges the most
effective in respect to acceptance of such pupils among their peers as
well as performance of passive as well as active activities. Integrated
education emerges the least effective in respect to almost all the indicators
of social integration.
Speed and Accuracy in Braille
Residential education turns
out to be the most effective and integrated education the least effective
in respect of speed and accuracy in braille. 38 percent children enrolled
under integrated education do not know braille at all. Another 38 percent
have very poor knowledge of braille as they are able to read only a few
alphabets. Only 6 percent children under this system of education have
good speed of reading braille which is comparatively lower than that of
38.4 percent and 40.7 percent in semi-integrated and residential education
respectively.
Level of Social Maturity
The study establishes that
there is no significant difference between the three systems of education
with respect to social maturity and independence of the students enrolled
under these systems. Thus there is not even 1 percent chance that the three
systems are significantly different in this respect.
The claim that integrated
education is more effective than residential education as well as semi-integrated
education in this regard stands disapproved. In fact, integrated education
has scored the least score (24.6), and semi-integrated the highest (25.86)
on the VSM scale. It is established that the system of education has no
influence over the level of independence and social maturity of the students.
Extent of Concept Development
Review of literature establishes
that the experience in the school environment and effectiveness of education
process and level of exposure at the school would have a direct bearing
on the extent of concept development. Consequently, a system of education
is likely to have a bearing on the extent of concept development.
The performance of various
systems of education in respect to four components viz. body awareness,
object awareness, spatial awareness and skill-oriented concepts is not
significantly different and is comparable. Whereas performance in respect
to time and distance awareness, measurement and orientation of environment
is significantly different. When all the 200 concepts are evaluated simultaneously,
the hypothesis stands rejected.
The cumulative average performance
score for all the 200 concepts reveals that residential education with
a score of 141.14 is most effective in respect to conceptual development
of pupils, followed by semi-integrated education with a score of 140.67.
Integrated education with a score of 135.83 emerges the least effective
in this respect.
Conclusions
Integrated education proves
to be the most effective with respect to coverage of girls, younger children
and children with congenital visual impairment. It is effective with respect
to coverage of specific beneficiaries who are not being adequately covered
under other systems of education. It is the least effective in areas of
acceptance of students among friends in general, performance of active
as well as passive activities. Its success in fostering friendship of students
with visual impairment with sighted children is not amply demonstrated.
It emerges the least effective in respect to speed and accuracy of braille
as well as improving conceptual understanding and concept development.
Semi-integrated education
emerges the most effective in respect to fostering friendship of students
with visual impairment with children and the neighbors, their social integration
and speed and accuracy of braille.
Residential education is
the most effective with regard to acceptance of students among other like
children, among relatives and for fostering friendship among sighted children;
performance of active as well as passive activities; and improving their
conceptual understanding and concept development. It is least effective
with respect to coverage of girls, younger children and children with congenital
visual impairment, the areas which mainly pertain to nature of coverage.
There is no difference in
the coverage of children with congenital as well as adventitious visual
impairment and the extent of social maturity and independence of students.
All these systems of education have generally failed individually and collectively
to achieve the objectives of quantitative coverage as well as qualitative
educational inputs. Thus the existing approach to education has not achieved
and is not likely to achieve the desired objective of imparting appropriate
education to all children with visual impairment.
Integrated education which
is being projected as the only option for reaching the unreached has failed
to enhance social integration of children with visual impairment. Even
in respect to social maturity, it has no in-built advantage over other
systems of education. Its quality of education in terms of speed and accuracy
of braille is comparatively inferior.
A Step Forward
As the results of the study
are restricted to specific samples and geographical area, the same can
not be treated as universal. One can, however, draw certain general conclusions
and evolve more effective and appropriate strategies with regard to qualitative
and quantitative coverage of children with visual impairment.
My study establishes that
integrated education is no more the most viable and the only alternative
of "Achieving Education for All". In all the four parameters of social
integration, speed and accuracy of braille, social maturity and concept
development, it emerges the least effective system of education. The promotion
of inclusive education with full inclusion of children with visual impairment,
peer group, parents and regular education system emerges the most viable
option. The challenge, however, is developing child centred pedagogy capable
of educating all the children. In India, two initiatives viz. District
Primary Education Programme and Parent Teacher Education Programme which
have been taken recently are the steps in the right direction.
District Primary Education
Programme
The DPEP is a World Bank
funded and State sponsored programme for the promotion of interventions
for the inclusive education of primary school children with integrable
and mild to moderate disabilities. It supports early detection, community
mobilization, in-service teacher training, educational appliances and resource
support. The class teacher after a short training would be responsible
for handling children with all categories of disabilities with support
services from the Cluster Resource Centre. The approach appears to be socially
desirable, low-cost and truly inclusive. Its success, however, would completely
depend upon quality of training and level of initiative of the primary
teacher and political will of the State.
Parent Teacher Education
Programme
The parents, however, hold
the key to success of inclusive approach. Their systematic training, motivation
and counselling would overcome short comings of integrated education and
render the inclusive education more cost effective, result oriented, child
centered and realistic. I propose a realistic and practical model of such
programme which can be easily replicated in any developing country with
appropriate modifications.
Duration: 3 hours per day,
twice a week for 12 weeks = 72 hours
Participants: As emphasis
is more on practicals, only 10 participants, generally mother or father
of the child, to be admitted in each batch.
Coursecontent: The course
should preferably cover:
- causes of visual impairment
- functional assessment
and evaluation of a child
- counselling & guidance
- developmental stages of
a child
- psychological implications
- child preparatory services
- concept development
- sensory training
- early learning kit
- pre-braille services
- role of a parent-teacher
- information about concessions,
scholarships, state scheme
- legal provisions.
Practicals: More emphasis
should be on the following practicals:
- orientation & mobility
- daily living skills
- visit to eye hospital
- introduction to braille
- assistive devices
- case studies of successful
children.
- interaction with successful
parent teachers
Follow up: A regular follow
up should be done in the form of a weekly meeting of parents at a central
location, sharing of information, problem solving and practice of braille
and use of educational devices.
Results
The Blind Men's Association
initiated such a Parent Teacher Programme for urban area of Ahmedabad in
1996. Most parents who joined the training programme took keen interest
in the practicals and participated actively in class discussion. They found
it convenient to provide support services and it eliminated the need for
a Resource or Itinerant Teacher. They also felt the need for forming a
Parents' Association and decided to meet regularly at each other's house.
The parents started meeting the class teachers regularly and established
functional relations.
Some parents have volunteered
their services for counselling other parents in the neighbourhood. They
also showed willingness to share their experience with the participants
of the subsequent batches. One participant developed a Writing Device for
low vision children. Encouraged from the results of this experimental project,
the organization has recently imparted training to the parents of children
with multiple disabilities from rural areas in looking after specific needs
of their children.
Thus the Parent Teacher
Education Programme can supplement efforts of integrated as well as inclusive
education at minimal cost. It would enhance participation of parents, acceptance
by regular education system, promotion of en-masse, meaningful and inclusive
education. A visually impaired child would walk to a nearby school like
any other child without the educant or education being "special".
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