ISLRTC, NCERT sign MoU to convert educational materials into Indian Sign Language

In what is being regarded as a historic move, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

Educational materials will now be accessible to children who are deaf and hard of hearing in their preferred mode of communication, Indian Sign Language (ISL).

This is a long overdue move that has finally happened after an memorandum of understanding was signed between the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), a a national institute of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

The understanding was signed in the presence of Dr. Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment and Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister for Education.

As part of this MoU, educational print materials such as NCERT textbooks, Teachers Handbook and other Supplementary materials and resources of Class one to 12 of all subjects of both Hindi and English medium will be converted into Indian Sign Language in digital format.

Speaking at the event, Dr Gehlot called this a ‘historic move’.

I thank the officials of the department and I as well as congratulate both ISLRTC and NCERT, and the millions of deaf students of the country and their parents and teachers. – Dr Thawae Chand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment

This will now enable deaf children to access educational resources and will be a useful resource for deaf students, teachers, teacher educators, parents and the deaf community. This will also help ensure educational standardisation of Indian Sign Language as mandated in the New Education Policy (NEP), 2020.

Also Read:

• ‘Wish there was a specific National Education Policy for Deaf people’. – Guest Column by Sibaji Panda