Amarjeet Sinha at the workshop in Patna on Friday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Visually challenged girl students in the state would soon be able to confidently rub shoulders with their peers, thanks to a government initiative.

The education department would launch an enrolment programme for such children from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Jehanabad on October 2 for schooling and rehabilitation of the visually impaired.

On Friday, the department had organised a daylong workshop on the scheme. District programme officers and representatives from various organisations were provided training on the processes to be followed to teach the visually challenged students. The education department principal secretary, Amarjeet Sinha, said: “The idea behind the workshop is to identify problems of such children and create ample opportunities for their education. This would give them confidence, protect them from social abuse and create a good learning atmosphere according to their special needs.”

At the workshop, participants discussed various issues such as needs, processes, methods and techniques of teaching visually impaired children.

Rahul Singh, the project director of Bihar Education Project Council, said: “The workshop also focused on the use of equipment, modern techniques and others in providing education to such children.”