By: Shree1news, 26 DEC 2020
The government has proposed to set up a “first of its sort” university covering the whole gamut of disability studies and rehabilitation sciences in an accessible environment. In a public notice issued on December 24, the Department of Empowerment of Individuals with Disabilities (DEPwD), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has invited comments from stakeholders on a draft invoice to set up the university.
On this regard, the DEPwD stated, a draft invoice specifically the University of Disability Studies and Rehabilitation Sciences Bill, 2021 for establishing the proposed university has been ready. The DEPwD stated it intends to set up a University of Disability Studies and Rehabilitation Sciences, Kamrup district, Assam through a separate act of Parliament. “The proposed university, the first of its sort, shall be a unique multidisciplinary academic institution conducting analysis, programmes and programs from bachelor’s degree onwards to cater to varied disciplines protecting the whole gamut of incapacity research and rehabilitation sciences in an accessible surroundings,” the DEPwD stated.
The proposed university can have eight departments viz. incapacity research; rehabilitation sciences; audiology and speech language pathology; special education; psychology; nursing; orthotics and prosthetics and assistive technology; and inclusive and universal design. “The proposed university’s programmes will adopt a credit and grading system. The proposed university will offer affiliation to different institutions in disabilities and rehabilitation sciences within the nation,” it stated.
The Department of Empowerment of Individuals with Disabilities hereby invitations comments from the public on the draft University of Disability Research and Rehabilitation Sciences Invoice, 2021 by January 3, 2021. Outstanding disabled rights body National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled, nonetheless, referred to as it one other “ill-conceived idea”, which denied sufficient time or space for stakeholders to reply. “In this case, a mere nine days have been given to elicit response to a 131-page doc,” NPRD stated in an announcement.
“All the more unacceptable is the fact that this university can be ‘self-sustaining’, in tune with the thrust of the New Education Policy 2020. With funds being generated from tuition charges, affiliation charges and so forth. students from the marginalised sections will stand disadvantaged,” it stated. “Rather than wasting huge amounts of money on self-sustaining segregated centres of learning, it would do auger well if the government adheres to the guiding ideas of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of equality and non-discrimination and adopts and promotes an inclusive, multidisciplinary approach,” the NPRD stated.
Source: A-N