Breakthroughs

Bangalore: CBSE adopts an inclusive policy towards the disabled

Special treatment awaits differently-abled students taking the CBSE exams this season.

After reducing exam-related stress among students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has set its eye on helping blind, physically disabled students taking the board exams.

The board, through a circular to all affiliated institutes, has announced 19 major concessions: permission to use an amanuensis free of cost, additional exam time and friendly question papers to be offered to physically challenged candidates taking Class X and XII exams.

According to the new inclusive policy adopted by CBSE, every physically handicapped student will be allowed to use an amanuensis in all exams.

This facility will be available free of cost to every blind, physically handicapped and spastic candidate. Such students will also be allowed an additional hour while answering all papers.

Schools have been directed to ensure that an amanuensis is a student of a class lower than the one for which the candidate is taking the exam. Special students will also get an exemption from studying a third language up to Class VIII.

Controller of examinations, Parvesh Kumar, had informed school that blind candidates would be provided alternative type questions in lieu of questions having visual inputs in English communicative and social science for Class X, and history, geography and economics for Class XII.

“The center's superintendent shall make the sitting arrangements for the dyslexic, blind, physical handicapped and spastic candidates on the ground floor as far as possible.

To facilitate easy access, some selected schools have made exam centres for special students,” stated the circular. In New Delhi , blind candidates have the facility to use computer or a typewriter during exams.

The Board has clarified that it is not mandatory for candidates to do the calculations themselves, but could be permitted to draw the diagrams themselves.

At the secondary level, a candidate can opt for one language and any four subjects from the bouquet of electives, including math, science and technology, social science, another language, music, painting, home science and introductory information technology.

Kumar has also asked school to extend such concessions even during internal exams.

“The board would like to reiterate that the concessions offered to physically challenged students be extended by schools during their internal assessment to further strengthen the inclusion of physically challenged students into the mainstream,” he said.

Source: CBSE gives disabled more time to answer. The Times of India , Daily, New Delhi , 15 September 2006

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