From The Telegraph in India:NEW DELHI, India -- India’s apex open schooling board is launching the government’s first concerted effort to create a cadre of individuals trained to manage children with learning disabilities — after a nudge from Bollywood.
Inspired by the 2007 hit film "Taare Zameen Par," (poster pictured) the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) course will seek to correct misconceptions and suggest strategies to help children with learning disabilities.
The film’s chief protagonist, a primary school student suffering from dyslexia, is initially punished by his school, teachers and even his parents for his inability to learn conventionally. The boy is blamed for not trying hard enough to concentrate, till he meets a teacher, played by Aamir Khan, who was himself dyslexic, and who explains the boy’s condition to his parents.
“The idea is to try and build a national cadre of people trained uniformly in managing children with learning disabilities,” NIOS chairman M.C. Pant said.
The course will not be restricted to potential special needs tutors but will be open to parents and anyone else interested in the subject, Pant said.The NIOS is still finalising the curriculum for the course, which will be offered from the 2009 session, he said.
The Centre at present has no such national training programme. A few NGOs and educational institutions do offer courses, but these have limited reach, government officials said.
The NIOS course will provide students reading material that they can study at home, combined with tutorials and examinations to test what they have learnt.
“Such a course was long needed in India,” said Suman Bhatia, a special needs teacher-trainer in Jaipur. “Taare Zameen Par is still fresh in people’s minds and the launch of such a course now could draw students more than it would otherwise,” she added.
The course, Pant said, will aim to initially explain technical aspects of major learning disabilities. Misconceptions surrounding these disabilities will then be demolished while the later chapters will suggest strategies to help children gain confidence.
Finally, students will need to clear an end-course examination to receive the NIOS certificate.