Special Olympics Bharat signs MoU with Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi to build education system promoting inclusion

The crucial MoU was signed on the Global Day of Inclusion 

Special Olympics Bharat signs MoU with Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi .

Khel Today Bureau 

New Delhi: Special Olympics Bharat on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi promoting Inclusion in the education system by the highest levels in the government. The key MoU was signed on July 20th at the Shaheed Hemu Kalani Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Inclusive Education Branch, DOE, GNCT Delhi, marking the Special Olympics Global Day of Inclusion.

Special Olympics Bharat signs MoU with Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi.

On the sidelines of the recently-held World Summer Games 2023 in Berlin in June 2023, the first-ever Global Leadership Coalition for Inclusion was held bringing together the international community to collectively address the critical issue of building a more inclusive and equitable society. In order to do so, the present members discussed the need for Special Olympics to partner with the State governments to establish an education system promoting inclusivity.

The steps in a similar direction are being undertaken in India as SO Bharat will be looking at expanding their message of inclusivity through Education departments across multiple states, starting from New Delhi.

Highlighting the importance of the signed MoU, Special Olympics Bharat Chairperson Dr. Mallika Nadda said: Special Olympics Bharat wishes to spread the message of inclusivity through sports, all over India. Partnering with Education departments is a crucial step in this regard. Bullying, isolation, rejection is perhaps what persons with Intellectual and developmental delays (IDD) face in their daily lives. Inclusion is what they and everyone deserve. This may be a result of lack of interaction between persons with and without IDD. Addressing the situation leads us to educational institutions which are a hub of building attitudes and approach. The signed MoU with the Delhi government’s Education Department aims to making sports a catalyst to Inclusion, on this day of great significance which is, the Global Day of Inclusion. We look forward to jointly committing towards cultivating a unified generation.

Director, Directorate of Education – Govt. of NCT of Delhi Shri. Himanshu Gupta said: It has been our endeavour to build an environment of equity & overall development in educational spaces, preparing sensitised and responsible citizens, many of whom would be leaders of tomorrow.  Special Olympics stands apart from the Olympics and also the Paralympics, as it organises sports for persons with Intellectual Disabilities, a space where very little work has been done and there is a great possibility to do a lot of work. We look forward to introducing Unified Sports to enable us in bridging the gap between those with and without differences. Through the program we hope to expand opportunities of meaningful engagement on and beyond the sports field and bring about a significant impact among the youth and all others who support and mentor them. This agreement today substantiates our commitment towards celebrating diversities and bringing about Inclusion.

About Special Olympics & Special Olympics Bharat

Special Olympics Bharat is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc. USA, to conduct sports and development programs all over India. Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education, and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Bharat is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India as a National Sports Federation for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. It is incumbent to inform that Special Olympics and Paralympics are separate entities wherein the former reaches out to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and, the latter to those with physical challenges. SO Bharat has over 1.5 million Athletes registered across all the States and Union Territories of India.