Chennai CBSE Schools Instruct Staff to Complete Disability Training via PRASHAST App

With schools reopening after quarterly holidays this week, heads of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools across Chennai, including institutions in Adyar such as Bala Vidya Mandir, have a task cut out for them: to watch a series of video modules designed to raise awareness of handling children with disabilities and create an inclusive campus.

The training exercise is being conducted through the PRASHAST application designed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). More than 300 CBSE and affiliated schools across the city will benefit from the programme, which marks the first time the initiative has been introduced to Tamil Nadu.

Schoolteachers, heads, and all non-teaching staff members have been instructed to view the series. The training consists of around eight modules, with each module running for up to 30 minutes. The modules cover a broad range of topics, ranging from the methodology of teaching to providing the right infrastructure, and explicitly lay out the do's and don'ts for schools.

To ensure that regular academic schedules are not disrupted, schools have been specifically advised to watch the modules without meddling with class hours.

Highlighting the local participation in Adyar, J Sundar, principal of Bala Vidya Mandir, outlined the intent behind the exercise. “The idea is to sensitise educators to handling children with disabilities, ways to make them feel included and creating a friendly environment for them in schools,” he said. He added that the entire campus workforce is participating: “We have asked all our staff, including clerical workers and drivers, to watch the modules and spread awareness.”

According to school heads, the initiative had previously been implemented in states such as Karnataka and Maharashtra before expanding to schools in Tamil Nadu.

An official from the CBSE regional office noted that the current training is an extension of the 'PRASHAST-Screening Initiative' launched earlier this year. That initiative established a school-based screening mechanism that enables school staff to assess early signs of disability among students and facilitate timely intervention.