New Delhi: UGC has released draft accessibility guidelines and standards to provide PWD category students with easy access to Higher Education in HEIs.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued draft comprehensive accessibility guidelines and standards for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and Universities to make sure that persons with disabilities (PwD) get easy access to Higher Education.
The guidelines include suggestions to ensure accessibility in terms of curriculum, teaching-learning, resources, assessment and infrastructure.
The draft guidelines are available on the UGC website. The Commission has also invited feedback and suggestions on the released guidelines from the stakeholders. Interested stakeholders can send their suggestions by March 7, 2022 through the official University Activity Monitoring Portal (UAMP), ugc.in.in.uamp.
UGC Allows 900 Autonomous Colleges Offer Online Degree Courses
“The UGC has issued these guidelines as a part of Implementing National education Policy (NEP) 2020 that envisages education as the foremost primary measure to achieve economic and social mobility, inclusion and equality. The Indian Government has launched the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal participation and inclusion in all sorts of activities,” the commission said.
Recognizing, accommodating and meeting the requirements of the PwD (persons with disabilities) corning from diverse backgrounds, it becomes the primary responsibility for the HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) to provide them such facilities that enable persons with disabilities from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to live independently & also participate fully in all aspects of their educational life at HEIs,” the UGC notification added.
UGC’s Draft Guidelines:
“Ensuring equal participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all activities are the priority goals of the nation. Hence, UGC has committed itself to support HEIs in all possible manners so that PwD can also participate in all different academic programs of universities and colleges. Making HEIs accessible to all students remains one of the significant goals of the Commission & this draft,” UGC said in its guidelines.
The Commission also said HEIs must ensure that all buildings and facilities must be wheelchair-accessible and disabled-friendly; develop bridge courses for students that may come from disadvantaged educational backgrounds, and provide socio-emotional and academic support for all such students through programmes of suitable counselling and mentoring.
The draft guidelines also suggested to create a “gender friendly classroom environment and transactions” and to also “develop positive self-concept and self-esteem among students” to make campuses inclusive for all genders, including transgender persons. “The law also requires an independent toilet unit for transgender persons,” it added.
The University Grants Commission has prescribed guidelines under the following sections to develop a holistic perspective and understanding in this draft :
- Accessible Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
- Accessibility of ICT
- Promoting Inclusive Practices and Accessibility
- Accessible Assessment or Examination
- Need Assessment and Support Provisions
- Accessibility in Resources, Services
- Governance and Monitoring of Accessibility and Inclusive Practices
- Mobility Infrastructure
- Built Infrastructure
- Inclusive Campus Living
Also Check:
Comments