The Hindu : Karnataka News : Scholarships for differently abled children planned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 14, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Scholarships for differently abled children planned

Staff Correspondent

Even those studying in private institutions to be covered under the scheme

A hostel for girls under the differently abled category to be opened
Government to support any endeavour to help these children continue their studies

SUNTICOPPA (KODAGU DISTRICT): Differently-abled children will be eligible to draw scholarships from the Government in future, including those studying in private institutions, Deputy Director of the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Kodagu, Shaher Banu, said here on Friday.

She was inaugurating the fourth annual day celebrations of SWASTHA, a centre for education and rehabilitation of special children, run by the Coorg Foundation, a subsidiary of Tata Coffee Ltd. here.

Training

Many private initiatives such as SWASTHA had trained special children successfully to bring them to the mainstream.

The Government thought there should not be any discrimination between the special children and normal children in the educational institutions in deriving benefits, she said.

There was a move to establish a hostel for girls coming under the differently-abled category in Madikeri.

It would come up with the help of Belur Math in Somwarpet taluk, she said. It could be extended to boys in the same category in future.

Ms. Banu said that there should not be any limit for the education of special children and her department would support any such endeavour by institutions involved in the care of special children.

Ms. Banu said the Department of Women and Child Welfare here would felicitate two children each from three special schools in the district — SWASTHA, Opportunity Section of the Kodagu Vidyalaya in Madikeri and the Cheshire Home in Polibetta — who have excelled in sports and games activities on the occasion of World Disabled Day, which would be observed here as “Differently Abled Children’s Day” on December 3.

Pushpa Kuttana, principal, Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa College, who was the guest, lauded the efforts of SWASTHA to train special children. She said every individual was a part and parcel of society, irrespective of the abilities. There was a need to redefine goals to serve the needy in society better, she said.

Saying that a family constituted the base unit of society, Dr. Kuttanna stressed the need for an active parental role in dealing with children with disabilities. At the same time, role of peer group would cast a great deal of influence on them, playing an important role in shaping the development of mind and body of a special child.

Praising the efforts of SWASTHA, she said the stress was now on the development of skills of the special children by removing inferiority complex among them.

Prabha Appachu, a trustee of Coorg Foundation, who is associated with the Cheshire Home in Polibetta, spoke on the inauguration of an outlet in Madikeri to sell products manufactured by the special children from the Opportunity Section of the Kodagu Vidyalaya, Cheshire Home and SWASTHA.

Grand show

Later, a grand cultural show presented by the special children.

Shrikala Rao, head, rehabilitation, SWASTHA, welcomed. Ganga Changappa, project head, SWASTHA, read out a report.

Hamid Huq, executive director, Tata Coffee Ltd.; K.N. Changappa, Director, Coorg Foundation, were present.

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