Few takers for DU's equal opportunity equity

The varsity now has 1620 seats reserved for students with disabilities but only 462 register this year

jasleen

Jasleen Kaur | June 23, 2010



A focus on inclusion in education has seen reserved seats for those who are differently-abled go up at Delhi University. The university now reserves 1,620 seats for students with disabilities which is 400 more than last year's 1,220.

But this impact of the this step has hardly been felt in the volume of applications for such seats. The varsity has received applications from only 462 students this year.

Kanika Khandelwal, a lecturer in LSR College says, "I feel the biggest problem is that people do not know about the kind of facilities that are available today so they are reluctant to send their kids to study here. And only those staying in and around Delhi come."

According to Anjlee Agarwal, working with Samarthyam, the Access Resource Group which works with DU’s equal opportunity cell (EQC), the majority of work has been done in the colleges of both the campuses and less attention has been paid to those which are not part of the campus. “Not every student with disability can come to these campuses," she adds.

Anjlee says, "All colleges are not implementing the recommendations given by us. It is because getting funds from the UGC is a slow and tedious process. Only few colleges afford to put in their own maintainance funds to provide facilities."

There is also shortage of trained teachers in all the colleges. The EQC is also exploring the possibility of providing mobility to these students within North Campus colleges by interconnecting college buildings.

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