The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to make NCERT textbooks available in ISL in digital format for hearing-impaired students.
In a statement, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, under which the ISLRTC functions, said Social Justice Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot termed the MoU a “historic step” as hearing-impaired students will be able to access educational resources in ISL.
“After this MoU, NCERT educational books and materials will be available in Indian Sign Language which is same all over the country. This means all hearing impaired students of India, whether from the east or the west or the north or the south, will read NCERT books in a single language i.e. Indian Sign Language,” the statement said.
NCERT textbooks, teachers handbooks and other materials for Class I-XII of all subjects in Hindi and English medium would be converted into ISL in digital format, it said.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said the MoU would lead to standardisation of educational materials in ISL as mandated by the New Education Policy 2020.
The MoU was signed by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) joint secretary and ISLRTC director Prabodh Seth and NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapathy, while DEPwD secretary Shakuntala Doley Gamlin and School Education Secretary Anita Karwal also addressed the virtual gathering.
