Medha Nanda - Art be a Part

Thanks to the generous support from Medha Nanda through her Art be a Part (AbaP) initiative that supports UNICEF programme in furthering its goal to provide equitable and inclusive education for most vulnerable children across three states of India i.e Assam, Gujarat and West Bengal, working together with the Department of Education, Women and Child Development in the states.

The focus of the interventions in the three states are as follows:

•           Early detection of children with disabilities through universal screening

•             Expanding access to learning opportunities for children with disabilities

•           Promote inclusive learning practices in the classroom

•           Parental engagement to support home-based learning

•           Bringing together evidence & knowledge by key actors to scale pockets of excellence

The interventions would include use of technology especially for early screening of children and monitoring their participation. The classroom learning processes would also explore the use of art for learning and social-emotional support.

Adopting a system strengthening approach UNICEF, is providing technical support to the government to strengthen its institutions i.e anganwadi centres, schools, resource centres, to deliver quality learning opportunities for children with disabilities and peers ensuring inclusive education.

UNICEF’s approach aims at supporting the education system at different levels (state, district, block).  Working hand-in-hand with the Education Department, UNICEF will support in developing demonstration models of inclusive education. In developing these models interventions will be piloted and tested along with the functionaries from the department. This will ensure scale-up and sustainability of the approaches. Such an implementation allows to develop and consolidate a quality inclusive education programme reaching the most vulnerable children, across all schools.

The first phase of the programme has been successful in supporting:

Assam:

1. Inclusive Education Training: Over 20,000 foundational grade teachers in Assam request inclusive education training, emphasising the need for embedding inclusive training materials in capacity-building approaches.
2. Professional Development for Anganwadi Workers: Assam initiated a six-month professional development program for Anganwadi workers which covers developmental delays, inclusive learning and parental counselling.

Gujarat:

1. Investment in Inclusive Education: Gujarat increases investment in inclusive education, deploying special educators and establishing resource rooms.
2. Capacity Building for ICDS Functionaries: UNICEF and DWCD Gujarat developed training modules and trained ICDS functionaries on inclusive foundational learning.
3. Systemic capacity building for creating barrier-free school infrastructure: UNICEF and the Department of Education developed a toolkit for making school infrastructure accessible and built capacities of education department functionaries on making school infrastructure accessible.

West Bengal:

1. Home-Based Education: West Bengal developed guidelines for home-based education, supported by online orientations and IEC materials.
2. Supporting PRASHAST APP Implementation: UNICEF supported the department in the implementation of PRASHAST APP in West Bengal, by providing orientation sessions and technical support.

Art be a Part’s mission is to bridge the gap between art and social impact by supporting talented artists, hosting impactful events, and collaborating with trusted charitable organizations. Art be a Part believes that art is a vital aspect of communication for children with special needs. Through SpArK, an initiative by Art be a Part, we strive to identify, include, and integrate children with special needs into the education system, driving education and awareness of special needs and creating sustainable systems and infrastructure, with art as a medium of learning and development.