PANAJI
Children with special needs (CWSN) in schools will henceforth be referred for certification to get the exemptions and concessions at the Class X board exams earlier in class VIII instead of the current referral system in class IX.
A formal circular with these instructions has been sent to heads of all secondary and higher secondary schools by the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBSHSE) in which schools have been asked to change the referral system and begin the certification process for CWSN certification in class VIII itself instead of the current class IX and X.
The change is being proposed because the current pending load for issuance of certificates is beyond the capacity of the system and many a times genuine cases do not get certified in time to avail exemption during the course of studies or examinations.
The GBSHSE circular issued by Secretary Vidhyadatta Naik, said, the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) reviewed the procedures jointly with the Board and it was observed that neither schools nor students/parents are aware of CWSN exemptions and do not follow correct way of seeking these exemptions.
"Most schools have cited delay in appointments with doctors for the delay in referrals. Earlier referrals to the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) or IPHB will help counter this difficulty," Naik said in the circular.
The GBSHSE said early intervention and rehabilitation of the child should be given utmost importance rather than merely certification and exemption/concessions, it said.
The Board said, currently there is a tendency to seek these available CWSN concessions at the last minute in Std. IX and X at the DEIC.
"The current referral system i.e. beginning of IX standard should be changed to VII and VIII standard as certification is required to be completed in the beginning of IX standard," Naik said in the circular.
Meanwhile, GSCPCR has recommended that the guidelines should restrict referrals for certification in X standard and stop the practice of applying for concessions directly in X standard itself.
"It should compulsorily happen in elementary years, with teachers being trained to administer screening checklists for students with learning disabilities enterting Std I, i.e. formal schooling and then in middle school years (std V to VII)," the GBSHSE circular quotes the Commission's recommendation.
Concessions and exemptions available to children with special needs in Class IX and Class X examinations under the GBSHSE include services of reader, writer and also extra time to answer papers.
