SSC results reflect progress in digital pedagogy introduced for children with special needs in A.P., says inclusion specialist

In a world that often underestimates them, Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in government schools are rewriting the narrative. Equipped with determination, resilience and the right support, they have begun to taste the fruits of academic success, thanks to use of innovative digital tools they have mastered under expert guidance deployed by the Samagra Shiksha wing of the School Education Department.

This year’s SSC Board results unfold inspiring stories of students who have put up a good show by moving beyond labels and demonstrating their true ability.

Kuruba Ishwarya has scored 90.8 %, Yalagaturi Lokesh Chowdary ((86.0 %), Derangula Kumar Babu (85 %), Dasari Chamundeswari (84 %), Madiga Anji (74.6 %), Madde Drona (70 %) and Avula Amarnath (69 %), all of them are visually challenged, while Safaru Sanath Kumar with growth hormone deficiency, has scored 88.8 % marks in the SSC public examination.

“In 2022, when we introduced digitally accessible pedagogy, there were no text books available in digitally accessible formats and someone had to read out for the visually challenged students,” recalls Ram Kamal, Senior Advisor on Inclusive Education to Samagra Shiksha, Andhra Pradesh.

LAMS

He says in the academic year 2023, a student Chaitrika who has low vision, scored the highest marks (82%) while last year, Bhargavi, an orthopaedically challenged student, secured 85%. Attributing the progression to use of digitally accessible textbooks and effective use of the Learning and Assessment Management System (LAMS) that allows educators to create, store and manage various learning materials, including online courses, videos, documents and interactive elements besides Vedantu’s online tuitions, Mr. Ram Kamal says this year’s highest score has touched 90.8 % and the best part is that a majority of the children with special needs have crossed 85% marks. “Every mark they have scored on their own, by writing their exams independently, without anybody’s assistance,” he adds.

Under LAMS, students are provided learning content such as digital textbooks, according to the academic calendar in text, videos, audio podcasts, quizzes, multiple choice and descriptive questions based on the assignment pattern.

Mr. Ram Kamal explains that the many EdTech sites that provide quality education content, do not provide entire curriculums of the educational Boards or carry out quality assessments and log data of the students in an accessible format. “Accessibility, scalability, personalisation, collaboration, analytics and tracking, and resource management based on an AI engine is the core of LAMS, which stores a plethora of centralised educational resources, including subject-wise materials, multimedia content, assessments, and learning activities, making it easier for instructors to organise and manage their subjects,” he says.