Early identification is the foundation of inclusive education. Examine the role of digital screening tools like PRASHAST in fulfilling the mandate of the RPwD Act, 2016.

Section 17 of the RPwD Act, 2016 requires the State to identify Children with Special Needs (CwSN) and to train staff to support them [1]. Identifying a child early is the first step towards certification, aids and support. NCERT's PRASHAST (Pre Assessment Holistic Screening Tool) turns this duty into a digital tool. It helps a great deal with identification, but on its own it cannot deliver inclusion [2].

Role in fulfilling the Act's mandate

• Matches the law: it screens all 21 disability conditions recognised by the Act and starts the path to certification [2].
• Screening checked by experts: teachers flag children using observable indicators, and special educators validate each case before it goes for medical assessment [3].
• Reaches very large numbers: in Oct 2026, a 30-minute module in 12 languages was screened in 60,000+ schools, and 72 lakh+ teachers have been sensitised through the module so far [3].
• Whole-school approach: aayahs, drivers and wardens are trained too. This follows Sec 17's call to train support staff [1][3].

Gaps that limit its role

• Too few people to validate cases: only 32,196 special educators were funded for 2023-24 [4]. That is fewer than the number of schools that joined one screening event.
• Posts not created by States: in Rajneesh Kumar Pandey v. UoI (2021), petitioners estimated that Uttar Pradesh alone needed 73,888 special teachers. The Supreme Court directed norms and permanent posts [5].
• Stops at the school gate: a tool used by teachers cannot find disabled children who are out of school. Sec 17 also counts only school-going children [1].
• Sensitisation is not skill: the Act requires Braille, sign language and resource centres [1]. A 30-minute module cannot provide these.
• Other risks: the digital divide, the privacy of children's disability data, and the risk of labelling children.

Way forward

• States should create a permanent special-educator cadre, as the Supreme Court directed [5].
• DoSEL should publish State-wise data on how many children were flagged, validated and certified.
• Samagra Shiksha's identification camps should also be used to find out-of-school children [6].
• The 30-minute module should be followed by skill-based training.

PRASHAST has made early identification of CwSN possible at a national scale. Whether it truly fulfils the Act depends on what comes after a child is flagged: validation, certification and classroom support. If it is backed by trained people and tracked outcomes, it can carry forward the Act's vision of equal opportunity and SDG 4's goal of inclusive, equitable education.