Indian students with dyslexia say schools don't understand them

From The Times of India:

NEW DELHI, India -- Twelve-year-old Raman Khanna (named changed), a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Janakpuri, suffers from dyslexia and dyscalculia. His
school says it doesn't know how to deal with students like him.

After ToI highlighted the plight of two dyslexic students in two indifferent schools in February this year, Raman appears to have become the latest victim of official ignorance.

Raman, a promising footballer and swimmer, is repeating Class VI after he failed to clear the exam. His school has not been able to provide him with a special educator. He does not receive extra attention in class, neither does he get instructions on homework in writing or a scribe during exams. The child's grandmother, Neeta Khanna (name changed), who has been bringing him up since his parents died a few years ago, now has nowhere to go. "If my grandson fails again this year, his school will throw him out. Where will I take him then? What's his fault that he has dyslexia? It's the teachers who should understand his special needs,'' she said.

U N Singh, joint commissioner (academics), KVS, pleaded helplessness as the sangathan has no guidelines in place on how to deal with students with special needs. "The primary problem we are facing is how to save the child as we have no rules for such problems. The dyslexia clause is not covered. We just take care of visually and orthopaedically challenged students. At present we have no idea how to deal with this case,'' he said.

Another senior official said none of the KVs are prepared to deal with such students and there are no facilities such as special educators in the system. "This is not an exception. Of late, quite a few cases of special needs are emerging. But unfortunately most of the teachers and principals are insensitive to such issues or are completely ignorant. Such issues should be dealt with at the school level rather than at the headquarters, but since schools are not equipped and the principals are not proactive, we are not able to help the students,'' he said.

Neeta has been running from pillar-to-post since March. After spending several months meeting KVS officials, Neeta was reportedly informed last month that Raman could not be promoted. "I got him evaluated by a clinical psychologist and submitted the reports to the school as well as to the KVS officials. One of the officials told me that KVs don't have enough teachers to give extra attention to any child. I was also told that I should put him in a special school. They do not even understand the difference between learning difficulty and mental disability,'' she said.

While the MHRD has been making noises about reforming education, it appears not to have put its own house in order. The KVs are run by the Central government and funded by MHRD. According to Singh, dyslexia will figure at the next academic advisory committee meeting. But till the Sangathan changes its policy, the ordeal of Raman and his grandmother will continue.