INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS A STUDY of SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN CUTTACK

Abstract

A society that has no vision for the education of children and youth and is not newlineprepared for the same, is doomed to die. Mahatma Gandhi newline For life to go on change is inevitable. Change is never easy especially when it newlineinvolves a large number of individuals and an established system. Yet change is necessary newlinewhen innovative practices demonstrate greater effectiveness than past services . 1(NCERT, newline2006) newline1.1 Education is a dynamic process that starts from birth. Education is the mirror of the newlinesociety and base of the socio-economic development. It transforms human beings from newlineignorance to enlightenment, from underdevelopment to faster economic and social newlinedevelopment. Education is a process of character building and expansion of intellect. newlineEducation in India has a history stretching back to the ancient urban centres of learning at newlineTaxila and Nalanda. Western education became ingrained into the Indian society with the newlineestablishment of the British Raj. Since independence, the education policies of successive newlinegovernments have built on the substantial legacies of the Nehruvian Period, targeting the core newlinethemes of Plurality and Secularism, with a focus on excellence in higher education, and newlineinclusiveness at all levels. Education is a powerful instrument of social change often initiates newlineupward movement in the social structure. The educational scene in the country has undergone