QualityEducation Matters to the Most Vulnerable

Corona virus disease (COVID-19) is a newly discovered infectious disease caused by a virus named "corona virus." The lockdown due to COVID 19 has largely affected the lives of at least 1.5 billion students and their families due to school closure. This shift in education from traditional classroom learning to virtual based learning might be one of the largest educational experiments to date. However, this measure does not address educational discontinuity and disruption for all the students, reducing the opportunities for many of the most vulnerable children, youth, and adults – those living in poor or rural areas, girls, migrant workers, children with disabilities and forcibly displaced persons – to continue their learning. Among them children were stuck at home with no outdoor activities or exposure which has badly affected their psychological and cognitive development and children with disabilities are the worst sufferer.

To address these issues, various steps has been taken by the special educators and therapist to reach out the children with disabilities by physiotherapy services, speech therapy,pre-vocational training, home based management and parents counseling by SPARSH care center of Aaina in Bhubaneswar. Due to pandemic situation children and parents are not able visit the centre physically. So to provide need based service online based learning is planned for these students so as to prevent disruption in their learning. In this special classes are conducted for both the children and parents to continue home based education and to engage the child in different co curricular activities and fun games. In addition to this, children’s are also engaged in making creative art with the support of the parents by providing with required materials at their doorstep with various precautionary measures to prevent covid-19.

The current Covid19 pandemic that has engulfed the entire world with a death toll of above 2,00,000 and rising. India too has more than 29,771 detected cases and 934 deaths so far. Odisha has about 118 reported cases and sadly situation is becoming worse as days passes by. The National Lockdown that was about to end on 14^th of April, has been extended till 3^rd of May.

The lockdown  has large implication on the society, not only the economic implication but Psychological too. Children are badly affected by this lockdown. They are trapped at home with no outdoor recreational activities allowed. This has an adverse affect on their Psychological development, especially for Children with disability and special needs.

The Sparsh Day care Centre of Aaina in Bhubaneswar has been in contact with the care takers of children with disability through virtual platform, e.g Video calls. We have assigned small activities including drawing and image recognition games to these children for keeping them engaged at home during lockdown. The games shall ensure psychosocial development of children at home.