By IANS,
New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee Friday laid stress on collaboration between institutions working for differently abled and underprivileged students, and said training of parents and care givers was critical in giving best possible care to them.
The president, who received a group of 40 children from to the Tamana special school in the national capital at Rashtrapati Bhavan, said training received by the students would help them become self-reliant.
The children included differently abled as well as children from underprivileged families attending the school as part of a process of reverse integration.
Complimenting the school’s founder Shayama Chona, Mukherjee said children and educators of the institution had a high level of motivation and enthusiasm.
He lauded Chona for having turned a mother’s need to find a school for her differently abled daughter into an opportunity for other children and said such examples should be emulated.
The president said curriculum at Tamana must be challenging but would be geared towards developing strengths of children.
“The training that you receive will help you in overcoming impediments to develop your aptitude. It will make you skilled in various ways and, above all, help you to become self-reliant. Once you have this independence, no force on earth can stop you or will ever be able to take away from you your abilities and your learning,” the president said.
He said Chona and her team had together developed a comprehensive programme of education, training and outreach which was now a network spread over several specialised centres.
“I understand there is a carefully planned curriculum for the different age groups, for children from less privileged sections of society and ‘open’ schooling for disabled and out-station attendees. Equally impressive is the residential independence training – as well as the day care facility being provided to these children. I’m also very happy to learn that Tamana takes care to provide opportunities to the children for their recreation and creativity,” Mukherjee said.
He said training of parents and care givers was always critical as they could supplement or destroy the good work done by professionals.
“A formal training is invaluable in sensitising them on how they may give the best possible support to the special children,” the president said.
Mukherjee said it was important for teachers to constantly update their methods and expressed happiness over Tamana having a teachers’ training programme.
“I would always emphasise that along with teaching, emphasis should be laid on research and collaboration between institutions so that there is a regular cross fertilisation of ideas and upgradation of knowledge and skills,” the president said.
The children performed a dance and spent an hour exploring the Mughal Gardens.