The National Education Policy 2020 makes inclusion the organising principle of school education in India, yet no study has recorded what that mandate has produced for special schools at institutional level in any North-Eastern state. The present study examined the transition in Mizoram and Meghalaya, asking how far conversion has gone and how ready the survivors are to complete it. Of the 12 institutions still functioning as special schools, 11 schools granted permission for data collection; together they enrolled 569 children and employed 139 teachers. Evidence came from an institutional checklist, direct observation, documentary records and interviews with all 11 heads of institution. The two states, i.e., Mizoram and Meghalaya, diverged sharply. Of Meghalaya’s 9 recognised special schools, 5 (55.6%) had ceased to function as such by the time of data collection, whereas all 8 of Mizoram’s remained unchanged. Readiness follows the same line. Meghalaya’s survivors rate high on accessibility, programme capacity and financing; Mizoram’s, sustained largely by donations, rate partial or low. In neither state, however, did the government appoint special school teachers (appointment was left to the private institutions), nor did recruitment extend beyond an interview. Since both states received an identical mandate simultaneously, the divergence appears to be associated with differences in financing and governance rather than with the national policy itself. A phased transition framework towards inclusion is proposed.
Authors: Jacob Lalrinawma, F.VL. Malsawmdawngliani
Keywords: inclusive education; NEP 2020; transition readiness; special schools; education policy implementation; Mizoram; Meghalaya
