Curb on concessions to students with learning disorder flayed

KOZHIKODE: There are not many takers for the  education department’s new guidelines on curbing the  concessions given to students with learning disability (LD).

The health department and the State Child Rights’ Commission have opposed the guidelines which were issued to prevent school authorities from manipulating the concessions  to increase their result percentage.

For the 2015 SSLC exam,  the Director of Public Instruction  has said  that only interpreter and no scribe  would be allowed to LD students unlike in the past.

Also, the benefit of choosing computer education, vocal music etc instead of mathematics/first language/second language/Hindi has been revoked.

The students have to produce LD certificate from a panel of doctors and not from a single physician. The provision of using simple calculator has also been scrapped.

The instructions were  issued in view of the allegations of schools manipulating the certificate for weak students to enhance their pass percentage.

But the Child Rights’ Commission, in an order on November 24, asked the DPI to immediately restore all the concessions available to LD children till last year. 

“If there are a few who misuse the certificate, there is an entire section of genuine cases,” said K. Hubbu Rahiman,  IEDSS resource teacher, Kozhikode, who is one among those who approached the commission.

The health department said that  LD students with single disability need not consult a panel of doctors, according to Dr P.N Ramani, Additional Director of Health Services (Medical).

The education  department personnel point to the  9,000-odd students coming under the LD category in SSLC  alone. “If they can get certificates easily without much scrutiny, the concessions will be widely misused,” said an official.

Due to the uncertainty, no screening camp has been held to identify the LD students in any district for the SSLC exams.  November 30 was the last date to furnish the certificates.