ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND AVAILABLE FACILITIES FOR DIVYANG STUDENTS

Present article reveals the teachers’ attitude on inclusive education as well as its status as observed by the teachers. The study was conducted on 100 teachers of Jamshedpur city of Jharkhand among which 50 were from elementary level schools while 50 from secondary level. Following a mixed method approach, investigator used the attitude scale for teachers developed by Tiwari and Bajpai (2022) and a self-constructed checklist to explore the status. Surprisingly, it was found that a significant number of teachers were neutral towards inclusion of Divyang (with any form of recognised disability) students, although worldwide educational policies or even, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of India strongly recommends for it. It was also found that although, facilities for Divyang students are available at the schools but a very few are setting the standards as defined by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) and in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. Study includes some future possibilities and suggestions for the concerned authorities to build a harmonious school environment for Divyang students. KEYWORDS- Inclusive education, attitude, Divyang students, mixed method approach