Recognition of special needs
Topic: Equality and Social Justice · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "Social Justice"
Meaning
This is one of NCERT's three principles of justice. People who are unequal in important ways deserve special help. Examples are disability, old age, or no access to good education or health care. This does not go against equal treatment; it extends it. Treating unequal people in exactly the same way would produce an unequal society. In India, deprivation combined with caste discrimination is the basis for reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Example
In NCERT's case, Suresh, a visually impaired student, gets extra time in an exam, and this is just. Whether Geeta, who limps, should also get extra time depends on whether her condition affects her writing.
Don't confuse with
- Charity: special help is a claim of justice based on equal opportunity and shared humanity. It is not given out of pity.
- Treating equals equally: that principle applies to people in the same situation. This one applies to people whose situations differ in important ways.