“Ensure that students with disabilities are not subjected to discrimination or harassment during examinations”
Mokokchung, September 2 (MTNews): The Court of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) has directed the Regional Director of the National Institute of Open School (NIOS) to conduct training and sensitization programs for staff members, particularly Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, to ensure that students with disabilities are not subjected to discrimination or harassment during examinations.
The Principal of Deaf Biblical Ministry, School for the Deaf, Dimapur, filed a complaint with the Court of the SCPD alleging that one of her hearing-impaired students experienced discrimination on April 23, 2022, while taking her Secondary Examination through the National Institute of Open School. Even though the case was withdrawn by the complainant “due to want of necessary details of the opposite parties,” the court was of the view that the grievances must be addressed.
According to the Order, such callous incidents have occurred in the past whereby, despite students with disabilities carrying legitimate documents/letters of permission issued by the Regional Director, National Institute of Open School, Guwahati, Assam, to provide them with extra time and caregiver support during examinations, the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, for reasons best known to them, do not acknowledge such cases.
These incidents reflect upon the ignorance of the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, the Order said, and stated that “a copy of this Order shall be issued to the Regional Director, National Institute of Open School, Guwahati, Assam vide registered post.”
“It is the recommendation of this Court to the Regional Director to take all necessary steps and actions to “educate” those persons in the field, especially the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, in their dealings with students with disabilities and the provisions made available for them during examinations by conducting training and sensitisation programmes. Experts on the topic may be approached for conducting such programmes which should be carried out at regular intervals and not just a one-time programme so that incidents such as the present case may be avoided in the future,” State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Diethono Nakhro, said in the order.