The notification, which should have been issued in January, was issued only this Monday. As a result, only around 50 of the 1,220 students concerned were able to file their nominations to avail of an adult writer for the all-important exams.
In what could be termed as a major lapse on the part of the state education department, close to 1,200 students appearing under the handicapped category for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations will have to sit for their exams without an adult writer even though they have a legal right to avail of one. The reason? An inordinate delay by the state education department in issuing the notification in this regard.
The notification, which should have been issued in January, was issued only this Monday. As a result, only around 50 of the 1,220 students concerned were able to file their nominations to avail of an adult writer for the all-important exams.
Duttatray Jagtap, chairman, Mumbai Divisional Board, said, "Although the government resolution (GR) on the concession regarding adult writers was passed in the second week of January, the guidelines on how to avail of them came this Monday. That could be the reason behind such a low number of applications for adult writers. Once awareness about this concession slowly spreads, the impact will be visible from next year."
This year, while the number of students in the handicapped category has decreased, the number of students with special needs applying for adult writers is also low, according to the Mumbai Divisional Board's statistics.
After the GR on the concession regarding adult writers was passed on January 8, the Bombay High Court on January 13 directed an expert committee headed by Dr Harish Shetty to examine the resolution and come up with recommendations regarding the same by February 1. This direction followed an objection by some experts about students with special needs being provided with adult writers. The state education department held a meeting on the issue and finally, on Monday, came up with guidelines regarding students with special needs availing of adult writers as well.
This year, under the handicapped category for students appearing for their HSC exams, there are eight autistic students, 600 with learning disabilities, 65 slow learners, 39 cerebral palsy patients, 11 spastic students, 176 who suffer from orthopaedic ailments, 112 blind people, 174 with hearing and speech impairments and 35 in the 'others' category, according to the Mumbai Divisional Board. The number of differently-abled students totalled 1,736 last year. This year, it's come down to 1,220 students.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "writers")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}