Special Education Courses: Details, Eligibility, Fees, Scope and Career

What is special education?

Special Education can be defined as a process of providing education to children who suffer from some kind of disability. Here disabilities can be anything, for example, learning disabilities like Dyslexia, physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, osteogenesis imperfecta, etc. Children suffering from behavioral and emotional disorder along with communication disorder requires special education.

They need extra attention and care concerning provide education facilities to them so that they can learn in a better way. Special education means teaching such disabled students with extra love and care keeping in mind their inability to learn in a normal environment like many other students. Special education can also be defined as specially designed courses to teach disabled students, which involves different teaching techniques, adjustable materials, and creating an environment for the students which are handy as well. 

Eligibility Criteria to avail Special Education-

Any child who wants to avail of special education he or must have any one disability of the following list and fulfill the eligibility criteria- 

1. Disorder concerning express yourself which means speech and language problem.
2. Mentally retarded. 
3. Learning disability
4. Deaf and Blind
5. Visually damaged.
6. Disability-related to Autism Spectrum
7. Orthopedic impairment
8. Brain injury in a traumatized way
9. Emotionally disturbed
10. Hearing impairment
11. Other health impairment. 

Admission Procedure to get into Special Education Schools-

 Many schools are set up for special education across India as well as abroad. There are specially trained teachers as well who are appointed in these schools which help these students to understand and learn things in a much better way. Way of teaching and helping students to learn, their techniques and methods are completely different from a normal school as it also helps disabled students to learn everything easily and grasp everything on daily basis. 

Some of the schools which operate normally tend to provide some extra time to the students, but in these special schools counseling sessions are provided to students so that teachers can understand where they are facing any difficulty and what areas they need to work upon for better improvement in the future for the child’s growth. 

As per the research, at present, there are about 3000 special education schools for specially disabled children all over the country. Out of which 900 schools are dedicated to hearing impairment disability, approximately 400 schools are for visually impaired students, 1000 schools are opened for students who are mentally retarded and the remaining 700 schools are for the students suffering from another type of disability. Approximately 40% of the disabilities mentioned above are the standard criteria to get admission in the school to avail the benefit of special education. 

Syllabus to be covered in Special Education Schools- 

The syllabus covered in these special education schools is formed in such a way that these special students so that understand the topics covered very easily. The main objective to provide such education is to provide the same level of knowledge to all the students irrespective of their disability. This also provides an opportunity for special students to be treated equally with other students as well. Special attention is given to each of the students with special disability so that their strengths and weak points can be recognized so that teachers can work upon their weak points and develops child with growth from time to time. 

These students are taught and examined using different methods and techniques keeping in mind the syllabus for the special education to be the same. Special education can be described as using different methods and new techniques to teach students so that along with learning they can enjoy the environment too. 

Some of the popular special schools for special education includes- 

1. Tamana of autism center – known as school of hope which is situated in Delhi
2. Sri Unnathi Autism School is situated in Hyderabad.
3. Rainbow of cloud child development center which is situated in Delhi
4. Constellation Pediatric Rehabilitation center which is situated in Delhi
5. Sai Sweekar child development center which is situated in Delhi
6. Asha Kiran’s special needs school is situated in Bangalore. 

Career and Job opportunities after pursuing special education- 

People with special disability are best fitted for desk jobs or any other jobs which does not require much of activity or movement as well. Some of the job profiles that people with special disability can pursue after completing their special education are as follows- 

1. Professional counselor
2. Special education mentor
3. Auditing or accounting
4. Profile related to human resources
5. Pharmacists and many more. 

After knowing about how can a special disabled child can still grow in their life after completing their special education schooling. Now let us study how can an individual if chooses to take up their career as a special education teacher then what courses they can pursue to qualify, what are the eligibility criteria to it, fee structure, duration, scope fees, etc. 

Introduction to Diploma in Special Education-

A diploma in special education also popularly known as D.Ed in special education is defined as a special education program under diploma level. Candidates who have cleared successfully their class 12 exams can easily apply for this course. After completing this course candidates can choose their career to be special education teachers.

Special education teachers are the teachers who are been trained with different methods and techniques to teach students who are disabled and treated not to be normal as usual students in the class. The main goal of this course is to provide training and education to such students in such a way that they are experts, trained, and taught in a way keeping in their mind their disability to pursue education and learn like many other students in the class and been treated equally amongst others as well.

The curriculum course is also designed keeping in mind all their disabilities. For example, in special education schools, there will be a variety of students who will take admission as per their disability like some child can have a problem of visual impairment, some students will be there who will face problems such as hearing impairment and some students will be there who can have a problem related to his mental health.

Therefore, a full curriculum is designed in such a way so that students of all the kids can understand easily what is been taught and it also helps them to grow and learn in the same way as other students in the class as well. 

Also Read- Courses After 10th: Ultimate Guide to Career After 10th

D.Ed in Special Education course- key highlights:

Some of the key highlights related to the special education courses are explained in the points given below- 

1. Level of Education- Diploma level
2. Duration of the course- 2 years
3. Fee composition- Between INR 50,000 to 2 lakhs
4. Examination structure- After each semester
5. Eligibility criteria- After clearing their class 12th from a recognized board in the science stream.
6. Minimum passing percentage required- 50%
7. Admission procedure- Through entrance exams or college level exams but sometimes it can be direct.
8. Salary to be expected as a fresher- Between INR 2 to 10 lakhs.
9. Job position and roles to pursue- As a senior teacher, junior teacher, Educational counselor, Technical writer, assistant professor, librarian, associate professor, etc. 

Specialization areas covered in diploma for special education- 

The different type of specialization which is covered under this course for a diploma in special education includes-

1. About Visually impaired students
2. Children who are deaf and dumb
3. Children who face hearing impairment problems.
4. Children who are considered to be mentally retarded.
5. Children suffering from Autism spectrum disorder.
6. Candidates who suffer from cerebral palsy.
7. Amongst all which are mentioned above other disabilities are also covered to teach candidates aspiring to become special education teachers and pursue their career in this field. 

Eligibility criteria to be fulfilled to pursue a diploma in special education courses- 

An individual who wants to pursue a diploma in special education courses need to fulfill the following eligibility criteria to get admission into this course and pursue their career in this field way ahead-

1. The candidate must have cleared his class 12 exams or exams equivalent to it from a recognized board or institute.
2. The candidate must have cleared his class 12 exams in the science or arts stream with an aggregate passing percentage of 50. Wherein, 40% passing percentage is for the students who are reserved beforehand. 

What are the skills required to pursue a diploma in a special education course?

There is a certain skill set that is required for every candidate who wishes to pursue a diploma in special education courses. Let us study them in details- 

1. A candidate should have effective communication skills as communicating well with special disabled students plays a very important role. 
2. An individual must have some level of creativity so that methods and techniques that are been taught during the course should be used effectively in their innovative methods. 
3. Good management skills are also one of the important skills required as there can be a situation wherein a teacher needs to handle a bunch of students together or even a whole class together as a senior teacher. Therefore, it is very important to have management skills to maintain decorum as well as build relationship as well with the students.
4. As we all know beforehand that not only special education courses but for the life ahead too patience is the key to success for any course to pursue. Since the job of a teacher is to provide education and training to them for their future ahead, they need to have a good patience level as these students are suffering from disabilities that require special attention and care.
5. Teaching is a profession that requires a lot of passion. Teaching a group of students at once is not an easy job especially when someone is a teacher of especially disabled students. Every student is different and unique in its way so having a great passion to teach develops new ideas and methods to teach students and help them grow in their life.
6. Having great enthusiasm quality is very important. For any job to be successfully done to enjoy your job profile is very important. And teaching students with special disabilities is a great honor for anyone to do it. 
7. To be a good teacher being joyful and easily mixing up with the audience is very important. Gelling up well with the students is very important as these students are especially disabled, therefore, they need utmost care and attention to develop a relationship with the students.
8. Having creativity and imaginative skills as well. There are different types of methods and techniques which are been taught during the course but the applicability of these techniques in your own innovative and creative way is also very important. 
9. A candidate should also be capable of providing proper instructions to the students. As these students are special ones so handing them together might not be easy as they don’t react similarly to other students did. Therefore, being soft sometimes and sometimes being strict is very important while giving instructions to the students in the class. 
10. Being flexible is a very important skill one should have to pursue a diploma in a special education course. One should be flexible enough to adjust to any situation they are been given. 
11. An individual should also possess problem-solving skills. As we know that schools are the place wherein parents completely trust and leave their students, especially those who are not mentally fit to handle themselves on their own. Therefore, to become a special education one should be capable enough to find solutions to their problems and not run away from the situation. As different students need to be taken care of differently, therefore different problems need different solutions as well.

Admission procedure to pursue a diploma in special education courses-

The admission process to pursue a diploma in special education courses varies from different colleges to colleges and in different institutes as well. Some institutes choose to take entrance exams, while some choose to select candidates directly basis on their class 12 results. Some of the entrance exams conducted for diploma in special education courses include the following-

1. Entrance exam in D.Ed in Arunachal Pradesh
2. Entrance exam in D.Ed in Uttarakhand
3. The entrance exam of SCERT CG for D.Ed
4. SCERT D.Ed Entrance exam Assam
5. D.Ed entrance exam Goa
6. HP D.Ed entrance exam
7. D.Ed entrance exam Haryana
8. D.Ed entrance exam Jharkhand
9. D.Ed entrance exam Kerala
10. D.Ed entrance exam Karnataka
11. D.Ed entrance exam Madhya Pradesh
12. D.Ed entrance exam Odisha
13. MSCE D.Ed common entrance exam
14. SCERT Punjab D.Ed entrance exam. 

Top colleges for diploma in special education courses-

Some of the top colleges that offer diploma in special education courses are as follows-

1. Mumbai University
2. National University of Jaipur
3. Indian Institute of professional studies.
4. University of RIMT
5. University of Sanskrit
6. All India Institute of management studies. 

Fee structure for diploma in special education courses-

The fees for diplomas in special education courses vary from institute to institute depending on the college a candidate is applying for. Approximately the course fees are usually between INR 5000 to 10,000 for government-based institutes, while the fees range for the private institute is between INR 40,000 to 50,000 per year. 

Syllabus covered for diploma in special education courses-

Subjects covered to pursue a diploma in special education course are as follows- 

1. Education of emerging education society.
2. Child development 
3. Education related to psychology
4. Issues related to skills and development
5. Curriculum strategy
6. Different techniques of teaching
7. Information related to technology
8. Education related to the regional language.
9. Seven abilities of microteaching
10. Teaching Mathematics
11. The teaching of environmental science
12. Teaching literature
13. Teaching physical education
14. Knowledge of Art education
15. The teaching of social science
16. Knowledge about teacher identity and school culture
17. A clear understanding of language and literacy.
18. Learning socio-cultural activities
19. Knowledge about general science education
20. Learning about environmental studies.
21. Learning about school culture and leadership qualities as well.
22. Teaching the English Language
23. Practical knowledge about the work environment
24. Practical knowledge about drama, fine arts, and education field
25. Practical knowledge about physical and emotional health including school health as well
26. Opportunity to work in school as an intern. 

Career options and job opportunities after completing a diploma in Special Education Courses- 

After completing a diploma in special education courses a candidate can choose to work either in a private organization or in a government organization. Approximately, an average salary a candidate can expect as a fresher is INR 2 to 5 lakhs per annum. Other career options available after completing a diploma in special education course includes the following-

1. Senior teacher
2. Junior teacher
3. Teacher assistant
4. Assistant professor
5. Taking home tuitions
6. Education counselor
7. Librarian
8. Education consultant
9. Technical writer
10. Education coordinator. 

FAQs

Q. What are Special Education Courses?

Ans- Special Education is a form of educating children who are specially ables, usually mentally challenged, or retarded.

Q.  What qualifications are needed to become a special needs teacher?

Ans- A person needs to be a qualified teacher with mainstream teaching experience to be able to get appointed as special needs teacher.

Q. Which course is best in special education?

Ans- D. Ed or Diploma in Education is a diploma level special education program that is quite popular among people who look for special education courses. It is quite the preferred option for almost all those who need to pursue special education courses.

Conclusion- 

As we all know that no matter what every child of this country or worldwide has an equal right of getting proper education facilities whether they are disable or not it doesn’t matter at all. And getting an opportunity to teach students with special disabilities can be taken as one of the best career options. Training such students with utmost care and love also allows us to learn many new things and develop new skills as well. Payscale might seem low compared to other career options but as and when a candidate gains experience in this field pay scale also increases with time. 

 

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