KOCHI: Rahul (name changed), a Class XII student of Salvation Army Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram who is speech-impaired, hasn’t been able to meet his friends although it has been a week since his school reopened. This is because of the state government’s guidelines which say the differently-abled students need not attend schools initially.
Hence, many special and mainstream schools where these children study are yet to start offline classes. The delay in attending classes offline is further affecting the physical and mental health of these children.
Rahul had shown improvement in his speech and other daily activities when he had been going to the school before the pandemic.
However, his mother Priya Suresh said, “More than our children, we are eagerly waiting for the offline classes to resume. For the past two years, my son has been struggling to cope with online classes and this has affected him both mentally and physically. Seeing his friends going to school, he also got dressed up for school on several days. This has affected him mentally which come out as sudden emotional outbursts.”
A majority of the parents of differently-abled children like Priya want to send their children to school. “While, on one end, parents are worried about the safety since these children are immunocompromised, the concern is more about their mental well-being. I am awaiting the instruction of the school authorities,” said Priya who is the Thiruvananthapuram district president of All Kerala Autism Club.
Shereen, another parent who used to send her daughter having learning disability to a school in Manacaud, said, “The daily routine of the children went for a toss when online classes were introduced. There is no physical activity and they are now mostly confined to homes. If they can spend at least two hours at the school, it will help them a lot.”
Nifiya Shakkeem has two sons aged six and eleven who are neurotypical and neurodiverse. Nifiya, an architect by profession, has been spending almost all of her time assisting her sons with their day-to-day activities. She said, “I am waiting to send my children to school but yet an instruction has to come from the school.
“After the pandemic struck and Zoom schooling was introduced, it became difficult to care for both of them. Both my children were having trouble sitting for online sessions as they found it difficult to understand the lessons taught. While in school, the children were engaged the whole day with a lot of outdoor activities. Now, it has been more than one-and-a-half years since they socialised with others which has further affected their mental well-being.”
Meanwhile, school authorities said the classes for differently-abled children will also resume soon once proper precautions are taken. “Since they are immunocompromised and need regular instructions to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, we encourage them to stay at home and continue with online classes until the situation is under control,” said a teacher of an inclusive school.
288 special schools are functioning in the state for providing educational and vocational training to differently-abled children
While schools have resumed offline classes for a week, these children aren’t allowed to attend them for now as per the government guidelines. This has affected their mental and physical well-being and parents are eagerly awaiting the govt’s nod