Rajesh (name changed), a visually impaired student, recently joined Class XI at a government higher secondary school for visually impaired in the state. Having studied in a regular school until Class X, Rajesh had relied on audio recording of teachers and other reading aids instead of learning Braille. Now, for the first time, he is being introduced to Braille, a transition that has been challenging in itself.
Making it more difficult is the fact that he is forced to use second-hand Braille textbooks passed down by former students. The repeated use has flattened the embossed letters, making them hard for him to feel and read.
Recently, on the occasion of schools’ reopening, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi announced that all government schools would receive textbooks on the first day of the academic year.
However, the promise did not extend to around 1,000 visually impaired students studying in the state’s 10 government-run schools for the visually impaired in different districts who now rely on second-hand textbooks or recordings of the teachers reading the lessons to learn, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The promise also didn’t extend to more than 1,500 visually impaired teachers employed under the department.
The Tamil Nadu government currently operates three higher secondary schools, three middle schools, and four primary schools for the visually impaired under the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons.
According to teachers in these schools, Braille textbooks are frequently delayed by several months. “We breathe a sigh of relief if the textbooks arrive before the end of the term, which is rare. So, we preserve textbooks from previous batches and hand them over to new students,” said a teacher at a government higher secondary school, on condition of anonymity.
While the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation is the nodal agency for textbook distribution in the state, Braille textbooks are printed by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD) and distributed to the schools free of cost.
“When we ask for textbooks, they say there is a delay due to issues like paper shortages. The state once had a Braille press, but it was shut down. Reviving it could ensure timely supply of books for our students,” the teacher added.
Another persistent issue is the lack of mathematics textbooks. “I have been teaching for over 15 years and have never seen a Braille mathematics and science textbook beyond Class III. It has also stopped now. Higher secondary schools don’t offer maths groups in Classes XI and XII, but even students till Class X don’t have access to proper maths books. Schools run by NGOs provide Braille mathematics books and even maps to their students, while government schools are deprived of them,” said another teacher, as per the report by The New Indian Express.
Visually impaired teachers working in government schools also face similar challenges.
“The school education department usually provides a reference set of textbooks for teachers, but we are often left out,” said a visually impaired teacher at a government school.
“Whenever the syllabus changes, we have to buy new Braille books, spending money out of our own pocket. I teach Tamil and the syllabus was reduced this academic year. I have to spend around Rs 1,500 per book to get the new Braille textbooks as they cost about Rs 4 per page,” he added.
Meanwhile, sources at NIEPVD said they begin printing as soon as they receive textbook requests from government schools. The schools can expect to receive books within a few days, they said. On the lack of mathematics and science textbooks, they admitted that producing them using Nemeth code (the standard for Braille mathematics) has challenges and they are working on it.
Officials also added that their new initiative to provide textbooks in more readable formats for students with low vision has not yet received proper response from all the schools.
Tech the way forward
After much delay, the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTB&ESC) released all textbooks online in EPUB format at the end of the last academic year. These can be accessed using screen readers on computers and Braille devices. While Braille devices are expensive, some students, supported by NGOs, have started using laptops to read textbooks.
However, their use in government schools remains limited, as most students do not own personal devices. Instead, they primarily rely on audio recordings of teachers reading the text. Teachers said that in addition to ensuring timely delivery of textbooks, the government should provide laptops to visually impaired students from primary classes onwards and offer training to help them use the devices effectively.
