Experts call for disability-friendly examination system

Speakers at a consultation on Wednesday called for a uniform and disability-friendly examination system to remove discrimination and barriers faced by students with disabilities at all levels of education.

They made the call at a consultation titled “Breaking Barriers in Examinations: A Consultation on Examination Uniformity for Persons with Disabilities” held at Tofazzel Hossain Hall of the Jatiya Press Club.

The Disabled Welfare Society (DWS), with support from Sightsavers International, organised the event, where speakers said existing examination arrangements often fail to address the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Citing statistics from the Department of Social Services, the speakers said around 46 lakh people in the country are living with disabilities.

They noted that although a national policy was introduced in 2025 on the selection of amanuenses for students with disabilities at examination centres, it does not adequately address the needs of students with different types of disabilities. Separate guidelines followed by different departments have also made the process more complicated.

Presenting the keynote paper, Md Ershad Ali, a teacher at the National Special Education College in Dhaka, said a large number of people with disabilities are students, but the education system has largely been designed to meet the needs of non-disabled learners.

As a result, students with disabilities face various obstacles even before entering examination halls, he said.

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He identified difficulties in selecting suitable amanuenses for visually impaired students and those unable to use their hands effectively, inadequate wheelchair access to examination halls and a lack of large-print question papers for partially visually impaired candidates.

These barriers put students with disabilities at an unfair disadvantage and highlight their physical limitations rather than their academic merit, he observed.

Ershad called for simplifying examination procedures at all levels, from primary to higher education, by addressing infrastructural barriers, access to information and question papers, amanuensis selection and negative attitudes towards students with disabilities.

He suggested that the Ministry of Social Welfare formulate a comprehensive policy on the participation of students with disabilities in examinations instead of maintaining separate guidelines for selecting amanuenses. The policy should then be approved and implemented by relevant departments under different ministries to ensure equal access to examinations for education, training and employment.

Chaired by DWS Founder and Executive Director Morjina Ahmed, the consultation also highlighted the need to raise public awareness, particularly through the mass media.

Speaking as the chief guest, Shariful Islam, deputy director (administration) of the Jatiyo Protibondhi Foundation, stressed the need to build a disability-friendly society and ensure supportive environments for people with disabilities in academic and employment examinations.

Ayon Debnath, campaign adviser of Sightsavers International, urged all concerned to play their part in ensuring that students with disabilities are not deprived of educational opportunities.

Shah Alam and Dr Abdur Rahman, teachers at the National Special Education College, representatives of development organisations and people with disabilities also spoke at the event.