Special students, schools in Maharashtra find a way in new normal

After Maharashtra went into the lockdown that was forced by the Covid-19 pandemic in March, 12-year-old Sara Malshe, a child with special needs, found it hard to cope with the new normal as schools were shut.

Divya, Sarah’s mother said “We send her to a special school where she has friends and teachers who encourage her every day. But when all social interactions stopped, she was really not able to cope. She would not sit for online classes and often had difficulty in getting instructions.”

For children with special needs, adapting to online classes is extremely tough as physical interaction with friends and teachers is vital. However, schools, parents and the children themselves are putting their best efforts to combat the situation.

“Nine months into the lockdown, children with special needs have faced a lot of challenges. Initially, there were issues with getting them to attend online classes. But now with the help of parents and through the right use of technology, these children are trying to cope,” says Sunil Satpute, founder of Gharkul, a special school in Santacruz.

The school was started for students with special needs from low-income backgrounds. Satpute says the school manages to get parents involved in supporting their children to learn, but in many poor households, where parents have to go out for work, children are still not able to attend classes.

“We do a lot of sessions with them which are interactive in nature. But there are still about 50% students who do not attend them. When we ask their parents, they give us reasons like unavailability of network, compulsions of going out to work, among others. We are still trying our best to bring each and every child into the current learning mode, but the challenge is definitely big,” adds Satpute.

Special students, schools in Maharashtra find a way in new normal

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