DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2019.v07i07.009

Pages: 487-492

Though the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 mandates free and compulsory education for all children in the age-group 06-14 years the debate over where students with disabilities should receive education continues unabated. There is a school of thought which advocates inclusive education for children with disabilities in mainstream schools and the other argues for special schools where children with special needs (CWSN) learners because “without one-to-one specialized instruction would simply not learn and their futures would be sacrificed” [1]. Now after more than two decades later since the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act, 1995 the recent landmark legislation Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) 2016 calls for greater inclusion of the disabled children in the country in regular mainstream schools. The canvas of inclusion grew larger with 21 disabilities finding a place in the recently enacted legislation of 2016. This calls for a massive change in the structure of education in our country in the elementary education scenario. Moreover, our government efforts under Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyn (RMSA) to make secondary education free for children with special needs renders the "newest challenge is to make inclusive practices available to everybody, everywhere and all the time [1]. This paper highlights the findings of a study of the strategies of inclusion as practiced in government schools of Delhi. The paper also discusses the schools' readiness (Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan SSA's 3 pronged strategy for inclusion) in trying to prepare for the new challenge of inclusion and what systemic school improvement efforts need to be met.