The use of technology to enable Special Education Needs (SENs) students to pursue their studies with greater serenity was highlighted by the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, this morning, at the MITD House in Phoenix.
The Vice-Prime Minister was meeting with learners with visual impairments, teachers, and resource persons participating in a three-day training session on the use of BrailleNote, a notetaker device for persons with visual impairment.
The Chairperson of the Special Education Needs Authority (SENA), Mrs Savitree Oogarah; the Director of the SENA, Mr Deewakarsingh Authelsingh; and other personalities were also present. The resource persons providing training regarding the various uses of the devices are from EdCIL (India) Limited, a company under the Indian Ministry of Education which offers management and consultancy services in all areas of education both within India and overseas.
The training session, which has started yesterday, is organised by the SENA, following the procurement of 14 BrailleNotes by the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology. It is recalled that in Budget 2021-2022, it was announced that BrailleNotes would be acquired for secondary school students with severe visual impairments.
In a statement, Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun was of the view that with the use of these devices, the students would certainly succeed better. “I am glad that the SENA has come up with such an initiative and for the support being provided,” she said. The resource persons were thanked too for their efforts.
The Education Minister encouraged students participating in the training session to learn how to make good use of the devices. She expressed the hope that they would be able to get these devices so that they could use them to acquire knowledge and skill, and obtain better education results.
