BENGALURU: Through no fault of their own, six special needs children might be unable to write their board exams in the coming months. Brindavan Education Trust, an NGO that has been training the children to apply for the boards as private students, as well as the children’s parents, have been following up with a Mysuru institute that is in charge of issuing disability certificates to the students. The students, due to write their SSLC Board exams in March, will need to procure disability certificates in order to make use of necessary concessions given by the board to special needs children. However, the board has approved only two institutions, one in Bengaluru and the other in Mysuru, to issue the certificates.
For the past 15 years, students from the trust have been able to successfully apply for their disability certificates in September from the Mysuru institution, receiving them in October in time to register for the exams as private students through the trust. However, despite all regular procedures being followed, six students are yet to receive their certificates from the institute. Despite parents repeatedly visiting the institute to get the certificates, the process has been delayed.
“We’ve worked with the institute for nearly 15 years, with no issues whatsoever, but now they’ve delayed the children’s certificates and are very evasive when parents question the delay,” said Rajani Padmanabhan, education co-ordinator for the trust. She went on to say that without the certificates, the children wouldn’t be able to write their exams as the board offers concessions for children with learning disabilities that the students cannot go without.
Mamatha G, parent of one of the children, told The New Indian Express that her child needed exemptions from certain subjects as she has been diagnosed as a slow learner. “They did one of her assessments in September and registered us, but never called us back for the second assessment or any update,” she said. When parents approached the institute, they were told to go to the institute to apply for the certificates.
However, Brindavan Education Trust said the Bengaluru-based institute was not issuing certificates this year, and the parents have nowhere to turn.