• Minakshy Sharma
• Prof. Rajeev Rattan Sharma

India has the second largest education system in the world .There are 60.41 lakh children out of school in India (NSS 2014), many of whom are marginalized by factors such as poverty, gender, disability, caste, religion etc. Orissa has the highest proportion of out of school children in children in India. Disability estimates reveal that in the age group of 6-13 years children, 1.05 percent children suffer from one or other type of disability. An estimated 28.07 percent children with special needs are out of school. In India, children without disabilities go to regular schools and those with disabilities having special needs are sent to special schools. Inclusive education is a new approach which makes an attempt to make education inclusive in nature. It recognized that individual differ in their abilities and support that each student has equal right to receive quality education irrespective of their abilities, disabilities, gender, age, caste etc. It ensures that all children regardless of their strength and weaknesses have to be accommodated in a single schools and would follow the same curriculum regardless of their diversities. The government of India over the year initiated and implemented a number of programmes such as integrated education for disabled children (IEDC), project on integrated education for disabled( PIED) funded by UNICEF and government by NCERT, DPEP, Janshala, SSA etc have led to increase in enrolment and retention but only less number of children have been integrated in mainstream institutions. There are many challenges that hinder proper implementation of inclusive education in India including lack of skilled or trained teachers, negative attitude, lack of facilities for special children, support services, ineffective curriculum, organization of the education system, inadequate funding, policies as barrier, language and communication issues, socio economic factors etc. The paper will discuss the present statusof inclusive education in India, alongside the challenges in implementing the inclusive education. This will be followed by some suggestions particularly with school quality and attitudinal change.

inclusive education, disabilities, mainstreaming

"A study on Inclusivity in India in context of Education: Challenges and Suggestions", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no.125-135, April-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904X18.pdf

"A study on Inclusivity in India in context of Education: Challenges and Suggestions", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 4, page no. pp125-135, April-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1904X18.pdf