Webinar on 'The Emphasis of National Education Policy 2020 on Inclusive Education'

The Department of B.Ed. of Loreto College, Kolkata in association with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell of the college, organised a webinar on 'The Emphasis of National Education Policy 2020 on Inclusive Education' on August 25, 2023. The webinar commenced with a prayer service followed by felicitation of the resource person Mr. Ishan Chakraborty, Assistant Professor of the Department of English, Jadavpur University.
Mr. Chakraborty addressed the gathering on inclusive education by explaining the difference among inclusive education, integrated education and special education. He critically analysed the issues of inclusive education. He explained the concept of disability by stating that disability is created when people with specific ‘impairments’ interact with socio-cultural-economic ‘barriers’ in society, therefore, leading to ‘a shift from an individual to a societal perspective’. The speaker emphasised on the idea of inclusive education as reflected in NEP 2020. He elaborated on the features included in the policy, such as, Universal Access, Integrated Education/Integration, and Reasonable Accommodation. As a deaf blind person himself, he shared many experiences from his own life as a child in school. The speaker concluded the discussion by elucidating the four elements of education, which include teachers, students, curriculum and classroom/educational institution analysing the ground reality and hands-on practice in relation to the practicality of inclusive education. The webinar ended with an interactive session, in which students participated enthusiastically. The webinar was extremely thought provoking, informative and analytical, sensitising the B.Ed. trainees of the college and participants of other colleges of the country to be catalysts to change to make inclusive education a reality.