ISSUES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS IN INDIA

Abstract

The historical relevance of humanistic thoughts of Indian social and political reformers over the doctrine of the inclusive education practices is remarkably considered even in the contemporary India. Recognizing the holistic policy of inclusive education for the socially disadvantaged and underprivileged section, the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals embarked on strategies to reduce social, economical and the global educational inequalities. Despite of huge efforts, India yet has not fully able to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the deadline of 2015.Though the policy of inclusive education as a political strategy which partially adopted by Government of India since a decade, the social and educational development of the socially disadvantaged and underprivileged students are lagged behind and always pushed them away from the mainstream academic development. Against the backdrop, this paper dealt with an issue of the inclusive education for different excluded groups such as the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward castes, minorities, marginalized or deprived groups: handicaps, differently abled persons, senior citizens, beggars, homeless, victims of substance abuse, women, and different sexual orientations – LGBT groups. It has proposed a debate and discussion for active inclusive policy of education for the excluded and underprivileged students in the light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030 and of betterment of the human resource development across the states of India.