The Charity Framework in India

Alur, M. (2001). Some cultural and moral implications of inclusive education in India--A personal view. Journal Of Moral Education, 30(3), 287-92.

•      “India is a nation of contrasts and contradictions beyond easy description and formula; her history, religions, philosophy and culture are a kaleidoscope of customs, languages, dress and diversity. Although India is a hierarchical society, its tradition of celebrating diversity is a long one. Socio-cultural diversity in India is inclusive in many ways. There is a built-in respect for divergence of views” (p. 288).
•       “Mahatma Gandhi shaped the socio-political power of free India. He believed in voluntary action leading to social change, and he conceived of revolution not in terms of political action but of social action, in terms of constructive social work. Gandhian social service was Lok Seva or “service to the people”. His ideas encompassed teaching and training people to act on their own in collective endeavours of small groups: harnessing people’s latent potentialities for self-help and managing their affairs by themselves, which was called Lok Shakti, or the force of a collective group of people” (p. 288).
•       “Reviewing services in India it is apparent that India still follows the old colonial charity framework relying on voluntary organisations to provide educational services for children with disabilities” (p. 289).
• The belief that people with disabilities should be provided for through primarily charity and volunteer work is a major deterrent to providing high quality special education.  Self-help is a good principle to live by, but taken to the extreme when talking about people with disabilities is dangerous.

Inclusive Education in India

Singal, N. (2006). Inclusive education in India: International concept, national interpretation. International Journal of Disability, Development & Education, 53(3), 351-369.

•       “In India, there are serious concerns regarding the accuracy and reliability of reporting the number of people with disabilities” (p. 357).
•        “The Government actively supports special schools, but it is not directly involved in establishing or running them” (p. 358).
•      “Taking note of the outcomes and recommendations of the Project Integrated Education of the Disabled Children, the Integrated Education for Disabled Children scheme, initially launched in 1974 under the aegis of the Ministry of Welfare, was shifted to the Department of Education” (p. 359).
•       “Furthermore, the teachers interviewed in that study expressed their frustration at the lack of resources and support available to them. Such findings are not surprising because even though the Government is highlighting a need to include children with disabilities into the mainstream, they have not paid sufficient attention to the training of teachers” (p. 362).
•       “Thus, while some official documents mention the need to move away from integrated education to inclusive education, they do not elaborate or suggest any significant changes in the processes and practices underpinning this shift” (p. 363).
• Although it’s hard to get an accurate number of people with disabilities in India (Singal, 2006), it was reported by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (2005) that, “the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities stated that not more than 4 percent of children with disabilities have access to education” (p. 8). Schools in India are either government run or private, and children have the freedom to attend either.  The Indian government helps support special education schools financially, but does not hold a direct role in creating or “running” them (Singal, 2006, p. 358).