Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday, 23 July called for accelerated adoption of the PRASHAST app — a government-developed screening tool — to enable early identification of children with learning disabilities across Indian schools. The Minister made the remarks during a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Parliament from Odisha, held during a parliamentary adjournment in New Delhi, with the discussion centred on educational challenges facing children who struggle in the teaching-learning process.

What the PRASHAST App Does

The PRASHAST (Pre-Assessment Holistic Screening Tool) app was developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. It enables schools to screen children for 21 disability conditions recognised under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Teachers conduct the initial screening, after which special educators validate and categorise cases to determine the appropriate level of support.

The tool is specifically designed to prevent the mislabelling of children and to ensure they receive access to certification, concessions, and examination accommodations through the Unique Disability ID (UDID) portal. This systematic approach addresses a long-standing gap in India's school system, where children with undetected learning difficulties have historically been at elevated risk of dropout.

What the Minister Said

'Our primary goal is to identify children struggling at the initial stage, teach them through appropriate methods, and bring improvement in their educational outcomes,' Pradhan said at the meeting. He underscored that the initiative is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right to Education Act, both of which mandate inclusive schooling for children with different abilities.

Pradhan added that the programme also supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education, framing it as part of India's broader international commitments on equitable learning access.

Odisha MPs Pledge Constituency-Level Awareness

The Odisha BJP MPs present at the meeting pledged to prioritise awareness campaigns in their respective constituencies, with a focus on encouraging schools to adopt the app and integrate children with different abilities into mainstream classrooms. The state-level push is significant given that Odisha, like many Indian states, faces acute shortages of special educators in rural and semi-urban schools.

Notably, this meeting comes at a time when Parliament is in session, reflecting the government's intent to keep state-specific educational concerns on the legislative agenda even during adjournment periods.

Broader Context: Inclusive Education in India

India has long grappled with the challenge of supporting students with disabilities within a mainstream school system. Experts have consistently noted that early detection and timely intervention can significantly reduce dropout rates and improve long-term learning outcomes. The PRASHAST initiative is widely regarded as a systemic attempt to embed inclusive practices at the school level, rather than relying on ad hoc support.

This is not the first policy push for inclusive education — the Samagra Shiksha framework has included provisions for children with special needs since its launch — but the digitisation of screening through a dedicated app marks a meaningful operational upgrade. With the Ministry of Education now actively pushing adoption through elected representatives, the reach of the tool is expected to expand considerably in the coming months.