Lakshmi, who became a teacher to fulfill her childhood dream, found that teaching a diverse classroom of 40 or more students with varying backgrounds and abilities was much more challenging than she anticipated. Teacher education programs have historically failed to equip teachers adequately for inclusive classrooms, highlighting the need for reform. India’s National Education Policy 2020 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 emphasize inclusion, and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is working on a new curriculum framework. The newly launched four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) aims to better prepare teachers for inclusive education, but its effectiveness remains to be seen.
