Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela has aptly said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education is important in life because it gives people the skills and tools they need to navigate the tricky world. In today’s competitive world education is a necessity after food, clothing and shelter. It is the only way by which a desired change can be brought about; the fundamental means of social transformation.
Though access to education is a basic human right for every child, for children with disabilities the barriers to accessing education are much higher. Many visually impaired children in India do not attend school. It is because disability carries a heavy stigma. Fatalistic attitudes towards disability interpret it as divine justice. Indian households see the cause of disability as a ‘curse of god’.
Blindness, in particular, is tainted by the Hindu myth of the blind King Dhritarashtra who sides with the forces of evil. Many families with blind members share such attitudes. Not knowing how to care for their child and with fear of social retribution, parents hide their child away from the world. Abandoned in their own homes, the child falls beneath the radar of the state. As a result blind children remain outside the school system. Facilitating access to education for disadvantaged groups such as children with disabilities, itinerant teachers are working round-the-clock for their development. Sunday Post meets some itinerant teachers who have scripted success stories by helping build the lives of differently-abled children.
Also known as visiting or peripatetic teachers, the pedagogues travel around the year to provide services to differently-abled children. Instead of functioning as traditional classroom teachers, they visit children on their caseloads in a variety of settings, including homes, early childhood centres, schools and hospitals to offer advice, resources, and support to visually impaired children and their teachers and parents.
They provide individual tutoring in reading and writing Braille using a frame and stylus for blind children and those with severely low vision. They transcribe classwork, tests, and examinations to and from Braille for children and provide advice to class teachers on how to meet children’s needs in the classroom. They spend time with visually impaired children at home in order to prepare them for primary school education. They provide tutoring in pre-Braille skills and daily living skills.
Itinerant teachers are often the first professionals to identify that a child has a problem with vision. They normally alert their coordinator, who then refers the child for clinical assessment. They provide counselling on how to raise a child who is visually impaired. They also help the family view their children in a positive light and develop a supportive attitude towards them. Itinerant teachers also provide practical support to families such as organising hospital and eye clinic visits for parents. They sensitise local primary schools about issues related to teaching a visually impaired child in a mainstream class. In a nutshell, itinerant teachers play a key role in sensitising communities about the importance of sending differently-abled children to school.
Ajay Kumar Samal, secretary of the National Association for the Blind (NAB), says: “Itinerant teachers play a key role in the development of visually impaired children. NAB has recruited teachers in 24 states to provide special education to children with disabilities. It is an excellent and bold step towards promotion of inclusive education of children with disabilities. You cannot find blind schools in every corner of the state. Differently-abled children residing at rural pockets of the state, as a result, are deprived of formal education. Keeping this in mind, NAB recruits teachers in the rural and tribal belts. It employs teachers in Koraput, Kalahandi, Athagarh, Banki to facilitate services offered to differently-abled children. A survey is done every year between January and March to identify children with disabilities who are deprived of education. Itinerant teachers have to undergo training following prior to their postings. They are given a monthly payment of Rs 5,500.”
Samal underlines the role of itinerant teachers:
- They identify visually impaired children through eye camps, screening of children in slums, municipals schools as well as through prevention of blindness programmes in the rural areas
- The identified children are checked by trained ophthalmologists to ensure whether vision can be restored
- The incurably blind children or low vision children are placed in the integrated education programme. They are later admitted to mainstream schools and provided with the support of itinerant teachers
- A child is taught mobility skills, daily living skills, Braille, use of other aids and appliances by his/her itinerant teachers. The teacher helps him to understand that he can lead a normal life despite his blindness
- The itinerant teacher plays an important role in counselling the principals, teachers and peers in normal schools to accept and include blind children as a part of their school and its activities
- The main objectives of the programme is to ensure all round development of the visually impaired child, ensuring that he is exposed to normal life in society
Jhumuri Biswal and Pinkimi Jena are examples of the success of inclusive education. But this is not simply a steady march forward. Ajay explains: “We need to educate the blind about their rights, responsibilities and obligations. On the other hand, we need to train society with how to deal with the blind respectfully.”
Benudhar Sahu is an itinerant teacher. He travels around Nayapalli, Jagamara, Chandaka, Bharatpur and Terabatia visiting blind children in their classrooms and homes up to two times a week. Employed by the National Association for the Blind (NAB) Benudhar has helped Jhumuri Biswal of Khandagiri to lead a quality life.
Recalling the plight of Jhumuri, Sahu says: “Jhumuri, a Class IV student, had met with an accident June 25, 2005 while playing with her friends close to her house. A mini truck hit Jhumuri, injuring her severely. She was rushed to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar. As her condition worsened, she was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. However, she lost her eyesight after the accident. After the mishap, she could not attend school and stayed at home for two years. Special educators employed by NAB identified Jhumuri during a survey. Her father agreed to enroll her in a mainstream school subsequently. I met her twice a week and taught her to write and read with the help of Braille. Apart from being good at studies, she is good at playing chess, singing, dancing and doing household chores. Realising her eagerness to learn computer, NAB sent her to Mumbai to make her tech-savvy. Now she is leading a normal life, pursuing Plus III first-year at Ravenshaw University.”
Jhumuri’s father Hadibandhu says: “I never imagined that my daughter would get back to her earlier life. It was Benudhar sir who gave her another life. Despite being visually impaired, she participated in the all-India Braille reading, cricket, chess, quiz, Miss India competitions. Benu sir changed my daughter’s life for which I am always grateful to him.”
Responding to whether the amount paid by NAB is sufficient to provide the requisite services and lead a quality life, Benudhar says: “Firstly, I am not working for money. I believe in the saying ‘service to mankind is service to god’. If you are busy earning money, you cannot serve the society. I visit a student twice a week and am looking after 10 children today. My priority is to provide the best services to them so they can join the social mainstream.”
Special educator Trilochan Beura says: “Itinerant teaching enables access to remote areas, bringing the classroom to the child. Ninety per cent of Indian people live in the rural belt. Rates of disability are higher, stigma is stronger and special schools are far away. Here comes the role of itinerant teachers who shape the life of such children. Teachers who work with these children should involve parents in practising skills with the child. When I got appointed as an itinerant teacher, it was tough to deal with autistic and blind Sikun Behera of Barang. He could not understand anything. His family members had never thought he would recover and study. My rigorous efforts enabled him to understand things apart from reading and writing. I really feel proud when his parents and acquaintances thank me for changing his life. Now his teachers praise him for his academic acumen. What I feel is that dedication is needed to serve these kids. An itinerant teacher should be passionate about his job and should have patience to serve the kids. I am thankful to god for giving me the opportunity to work for the welfare of these kids.”
Rashmirekha Das
