Karachi: President Dr Arif Alvi has called for providing equal educational opportunities to all children, regardless of physical ability or socio-economic background, by promoting inclusive education in the country.
Presiding over a meeting with the representatives of private schools and schools run by the NGOs at Governor House in Karachi, President urged private schools and welfare organizations to support the governments in making education accessible for all children, especially Children with Disabilities (CWDs).
Caretaker minister for federal education and professional training, Madad Ali Sindhi, Sindh’s caretaker minister for education and literacy, Mrs Rana Hussain, secretary department of empowerment of Persons with disabilities (DEPD), secretary school education & literacy department (SELD), and representatives of schools in Karachi attended the meeting.
Addressing a meeting, the President emphasised the need for the development and implementation of an inclusive curriculum that accommodated diverse learning styles and catered to the needs of students with different abilities (SWDs).
He said that educational institutions should be made physically accessible for SWDs by ensuring the availability of ramps, elevators, and other necessary facilities.
President further underscored the need for drafting a basic chart on inclusive education by all the stakeholders, which should include fundamental aspects of inclusive education, including easy access for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in schools, and training of private school teachers on special education tools.
President also called for building a consensus on the facilitation of PWDs through inclusive education in Pakistan with the help of government, private sector and NGOs.
He said that Sindh’s school education department and the department of empowerment of PWDs should constantly engage with private schools and NGOs on inclusive education. He urged private schools to also share their vision and best practices on inclusive education with the government of Sindh.
He highlighted that private schools should take into account the existing legal framework on PWDs while preparing a basic chart on Inclusive Education. Appreciating the efforts of the National Book Foundation (NBF), President Dr Arif Alvi said that the private schools should go through the NBF’s syllabus on inclusive education from class one to eight.
Caretaker minister for education and professional training, Madad Ali Sindhi, emphasised the need to improve the condition of schools throughout the country. He appreciated the President and the First Lady for spearheading the message of inclusive education in Pakistan. Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi was briefed on inclusive education by the secretary of Sindh’s department of empowerment of PWDs.
