Odisha govt plans to adopt ‘Disha’ curriculum in special schools, ETEducation
Bhubaneswar: The state govt has proposed implementing a uniform curricular framework called ‘Disha’ for all its special schools catering to children with intellectual disabilities from the new academic session. A senior official of the department said the state govt intended to implement the Disha curriculum with effect from the academic year 2026–27, which will commence on April 1 this year.
The department of social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) on Saturday wrote to the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) under the ministry of social justice and empowerment to provide training to its teachers in the special schools on the curriculum framework, teaching-learning methodologies, practical classroom implementation and assessment strategies.
At present, 35 special schools for children with intellectual disabilities are functioning in Odisha, run by non-govt organisations under the grant-in-aid fold of the SSEPD department. “Currently, there is no uniformity in education imparted at any of the special schools. Disha was piloted in 10 states and considering its effectiveness, the state govt has decided to adopt it for its special schools. There are 46 workbooks under this curriculum and teachers need to be trained in them, which is why we approached NIEPID,” the senior official added.
The curriculum has specially been designed to develop academics, life skills and social and vocational skills of children with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities in the age group of three to 18. Developed by Mumbai-based Jai Vakeel Foundation, a voluntary organisation working in the area of supporting people with intellectual disabilities for the past eight decades, the curriculum was certified by NIEPID to provide a centralised model for educating intellectually disabled children.
Multisensory in nature, the curriculum uses visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, and tactile methods of teaching children academics as well as daily living, communication, recreational, social behaviour, and life skills. The curriculum will include subjects such as maths, EVS, language, communication, ADL and motor skills, life skills, social adaptive skills, kitchen skills, digital literacy and art curriculum.
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