72 thousand teachers trained to use technology to identify students with disabilities
In a nationwide outreach covering up to 60,000 schools and 72,000,000 teachers, the Ministry of Education (MOE) trained teachers to identify children with probable disabilities using PRASHAST, a school-based screening tool.
“The Department of School Education has been conducting continuous sensitization of general education teachers about inclusive education through PRASHAST for the last three months,” said a senior official of the department.
PRASHAST is a digital tool that helps identify children with 21 disabilities listed in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. “Many of these conditions are not easily identifiable, especially those without visible symptoms, as schools often lack systematic tools to identify such needs early,” the official added.
Checklists for teachers, special educators
The tool’s two-part checklist allows teachers to screen students based on observable indicators while special educators verify cases and facilitate referrals for medical evaluation whenever needed.
The first part of the checklist is for regular teachers who examine students’ observable behaviors such as movement, vision, hearing, speech, learning, behavior and social interaction, among others. For example, teachers must observe if a student has difficulty moving or has numb limbs, slurred speech, shorter than normal height for their age, survived an acid attack, or holds a book too close or too far away while reading. Other parameters include students facing reading problems, misplacing a line or skipping words, avoiding activities that require visual focus such as reading or copying from the board, stuttering, writing backwards, or unexplained and excessive bleeding from an injury.
The second part of the tool is intended for special educators to help identify categories of suspected disabilities in order to validate, categorize and prepare recommendations for official assessment camps. For example, detection of movement disorders involving bones, joints or muscles, deformities caused by leprosy, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, speech and language impairment, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, hemophilia and thalassemia and others.
Early detection and support
“The benefits of this tool include early detection of hidden disabilities such as specific learning disabilities or autism, prevention of mislabelling, promotion of inclusive education based on the RTE Act 2009 and most importantly, use of daily observation by a teacher without medical expertise,” the official added.
Knowledge gained from PRASHAST will be linked to the application for a disability card and unique disability card (UDID card), which is used to enroll in programs and obtain concessions and accommodations for exams. The data will also feed into the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s PM DAKSH system, which offers free skill training, upskilling and placement support for persons with disabilities, as well as the National Scholarship Portal for central and state scholarships for students with disabilities.
Support for inclusive education
According to the plan drawn up by the Ministry of Education, schools must complete the required teacher training between July and September before they can start screening. By the end of October, intervention camps will be organized for the necessary treatment and by the end of December, the final results will be evaluated based on the progress and interventions of the students.
“The module uses practical examples and interactive activities to help school staff adopt appropriate and respectful practices. It is available in 12 Indian languages and is intended for school principals, teachers, special educators and non-teaching staff, including yahs, drivers, administrative staff, receptionists, deans and supervisors, as every interaction a child experiences in school – from the classroom and office to experiences with transport and other common areas.”
Published – 8 Oct 2026 22:59 IST