'Taare Zameen Par' inspires Chandigarh administration

Chandigarh, Feb 24 (IANS) Inspired by Aamir Khan's box-office hit 'Taare Zameen Par', the Chandigarh administration has decided to start a course to sensitise and train teachers in dealing with children with special abilities.

Chandigarh's Home and Education Secretary Krishna Mohan said Sunday that the union territory will be the first among all states and UTs to have such a course for teachers.

'The public is gradually becoming aware of specific learning disabilities (SLDs), which cause academic difficulties. The administration will also start a new resource centre here to take away the stress and tension from the parents of such children,' Mohan said.

The education department here had recently arranged for a free special screening of the film for 2,500 government teachers.

The administration plans to shortly screen students to identify children with learning disabilities in the government-run schools so that teachers can deal with them with extra care.

Mohan said every student with learning disability will be profiled separately and proper intervention strategies will be planned for such children. He added that the attempt would be to identify these children early and arrange remedial action.

'Taare Zameen Par', which has won critical acclaim and several awards, is the story of a dyslexic child whose parents are unable to comprehend his problem and send him to a boarding school.