Patna, Sept. 5: Magadh Mahila College has decided to construct a ramp for the convenience of differently abled students at the institution’s main building. They would no longer have to struggle to climb the staircases or forgo their ambition to study science just because the labs are on the first floor of the main building.
The college also plans to install a screen-reading software for students with poor vision. The software will also have an audio facility that can help the students assess whether what they have typed is correct or not. “While students will be able to use the software by November this year, the ramp would be completed by March next year,” said a college official.
The initiative taken by the college is guided by the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) scheme of Higher Education for Persons with Special Needs under the 11th Five-Year Plan period. The components that are part of the scheme include establishment of special units for differently abled persons in universities or colleges, providing access to differently abled persons and providing special equipment to augment educational services for differently abled persons.
On what made the college take the initiative, Magadh Mahila College principal Dolly Sinha told The Telegraph: “Often I used to see that differently abled girls face problems in climbing the staircases to go to the first floor and had to take the support of their friends. We do not want anyone to become dependent on others for their daily work.
“I just followed what the UGC has already stated. One just needs to be sensitive towards the differently abled students who are already so spirited. They should at least be provided with the basic facilities.”
The college has received grants from the UGC for constructing the ramp and installing the special software. For the ramp, which would allow differently abled students to reach the first floor of the main building, the college has received Rs 5 lakh. The UGC has provided Rs 1.5 lakh for installing the screen-reading software.
