The Odisha authorities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ‘Sightsavers’, a worldwide organization working to stop avoidable blindness, to strengthen inclusive education for the blind and low imaginative and prescient college students, state authorities officers mentioned. The Odisha Main Schooling Programme Authority (OPEPA) on behalf of Division of Faculty & Mass Schooling signed the MoU with Sightsavers yesterday, they mentioned. “As a part of the MoU, Sightsavers will present technical help to OPEPA in strengthening the mainstream schooling of the blind and low imaginative and prescient kids learning usually faculties throughout the state,” an official mentioned.
Sightsavers will also provide technical support in disability management, low vision assessment, curriculum and special skill development among visually impaired students, the official said. It will also help in capacity building of resource and classroom teachers towards quality education delivery for the children with special needs, he said. The project while targeting approximately 25,000 visually impaired students, will also promote enabling environment at schools for approximately 1.3 lakh students with special needs, currently enrolled in general schools of the state, the official added. As part of the initiative, Sightsavers will demonstrate the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based education, low vision devices, daisy players, tablets, accessible education materials, disabled friendly Teaching Learning Materials (TLM) for better learning outcome of the targeted students, he said