The Court of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) has directed the Regional Director, National Institute of Open School (NIOS) to conduct training and sensitisation programmes for staff members, especially the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, to ensure that students with disabilities are not subjected to discrimination or harassment during examinations.
A complaint had been filed in the Court of the SCPD by the Principal of Deaf Biblical Ministry, School for the Deaf, Dimapur, stating that one of her students with hearing impairment, while appearing her Secondary Examination through the NIOS, faced discrimination at the Examination Centre on 23.04.2022. Though the case was withdrawn by the complainant due to want of necessary details of the opposite parties, the Court was of the view that the grievances must be addressed.
The Order said as per the Letter/Depositions/Statements of the Complainant, such callous incidents have happened in the past whereby, though students with disabilities carry legitimate documents/letter of permission issued by the Regional Director, NIOS, Guwahati, Assam, to provide them with extra time and caregiver support during examinations, the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, for reasons best known to them, do not acknowledge such cases. These incidents reflect upon the ignorance of the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, the Order said, and stated that ‘a copy of this Order shall be issued to the Regional Director, NIOS, Guwahati, Assam vide registered post.’
‘It is the recommendation of this Court to the Regional Director to take all necessary steps and actions to educate those persons in the field, especially the Centre Superintendents and Invigilators, in their dealings with students with disabilities and the provisions made available for them during examinations, by conducting training and sensitisation programmes. Experts on the topic may be approached for conducting such programmes which should be carried out at regular intervals and not just a one-time programme so that incidents such as the present case may be avoided in the future,’ State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Diethono Nakhro, said in the order.
