Ranchi: Minister for Higher and Technical Education Champai Soren has stated that the state government is committed to inclusive participation of persons with disabilities in mainstream life. As part of this vision, the concept of establishing a state university dedicated to individuals with disabilities has been proposed. Addressing state-level consultative workshop as chief guest on Tuesday, Soren emphasized that the goal is to do something exemplary for human life.
The inclusive university for persons with disabilities represents a historic initiative. He noted that not everyone has everything in life, including persons with disabilities. Without focusing on their inclusive development, the idea of overall progress would be meaningless. Efforts are ongoing to ensure their participation in mainstream life. He recounted a story from a village on the Odisha border in Rajnagar block, Saraikela Kharsawan, where a blind headmaster used to teach in a school.
Inspired by such efforts, the initiative to establish a university for persons with disabilities is being pursued. He said that Jharkhand, while rich in resources and forests, is still backward. While he is not criticizing the backwardness, he emphasized the need to think about how to develop further. He remarked that where there is a will, a solution to every problem is possible. The government is continually developing facilities for higher education, providing every possible support to students. The government is also focusing on the education and training of orphaned children. He urged the workshop participants to provide suggestions to help bring the vision of an inclusive university for persons with disabilities to fruition.
Principal Secretary of the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Rahul Purwar, stated that creating an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities is not just the department’s responsibility but a collective duty. This aspect is integral to the concept of an inclusive university. He highlighted that recognizing the capabilities of persons with disabilities and focusing on their development is the goal. There are 21 categories of disabilities, and courses and class designs must be tailored to their specific needs.
He shared his experience from when he served as the Deputy Commissioner in Latehar, where he initiated the “Ek Nayi Subah” program for persons with disabilities. Similarly, through the “Udaan” and “Gurukul” programs in Deoghar, benefits were extended to 40,000 individuals with disabilities. He also mentioned that various schemes will be introduced for general students as well.
The workshop also featured insights from Director of Higher Education Ramnivas Yadav, Assistant Registrar Cooperative Services Vivek Singh, Managing Secretary of Manovikasa, Delhi Dr. Alok Bhuwan, and Director of Technical Education Sunil Kumar, among others.