• Spl.-ed. needs apps & virtual labs recommended

A total of 25% of schoolchildren don’t attend schools despite having access to schooling, a report from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) claimed.

“A lot of the students who don’t attend school are those with special needs and those who are from poorer backgrounds,” IPS Research Fellow Dr. Nisha Arunatilake claimed at a conference held yesterday (8).

Special needs are disabilities, learning difficulties and neuro-developmental disorders that make it harder for children to obtain and receive education. 

Dr. Arunatilake said that resources to help those with special needs are scarce and that often, these resources are concentrated in ‘elite’ schools as opposed to non-elite schools. A United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund report on Sri Lanka alleges that 23.5% of children with special needs are excluded from mainstream education while 55.4% of the disabled population, aged 15-19 years, is not engaged in any educational activity or vocational training.

In order to solve these issues relating to education, Dr. Arunatilake recommended the use of technology. “As there is a difficulty in getting special educational needs teachers, we recommend the use of apps for students with special needs,” Dr. Arunatilake said. “And, as for the less privileged schools, the use of a virtual lab is recommended due to the inaccessibility of lab facilities.”

Attempts to contact several Education Ministry sources including the Secretary for immediate comment were to no avail.