The BUDS Institutions all across the state had celebrated the admission festival in joyous mode. While the online admission festival was conducted in all schools across the state on 1 June 2021, the BUDS Schools and BUDS Rehabilitation centres organized an online admission festival at the LSGI level, in the best way possible. The BUDS admission festival was conducted in online mode in the LSGIs, by including the families of the BUDS students. It was done after the 'pravesanolsavam' to the general schools was completed. The elected representatives, LSGI officials, teachers and personalities from political-social cultural sectors have participated in the online admission festival and paid their felicitations.
From last year onwards, online classes were being given to the students of the BUDS Institutions. When online classes were started through Victers Channel in the first phase for the students of the general schools under the leadership of the Education Department, Kudumbashree thought about how we could give effective classes and training to the BUDS students. Kudumbashree understood that the students were restless about not being able to go to the school and in this regard, Kudumbashree had formulated and implemented various programmes, consulting with the BUDS teachers, caretakers and subject experts.
Teachers prepare the videos of the classes, upload them to YouTube and the same are sent to the mobile phones of the parents of the students. Parents show this video to the children, make them do the related activities and assignments and send them back to the teachers once it is completed. In addition, work sheets of every video class are given to the children. Students, with the help of parents, complete those and send them back to the teachers. In this way, children were made part of these classes in an effective way. These online classes are conducted in an interactive way that the teachers come in contact with each and every child. Teachers give instructions to do activities (drawing, newspaper reading, learning letters, music class, stitching class, joining parents for kitchen chores, handicraft making, vegetable farming) as per the individual plans, created by knowing the special ability of each and every student of the institutions. As per this, the instructions are given through WhatsApp and the activities of the children are continuously supervised.
The activities are ongoing giving emphasis to the idea that it is the duty of the BUDS Teachers to ensure the welfare of all the students (studying in BUDS) in the limits of the LSGIs, where the respective BUDS institution is situated. It is suggested that every BUDS teacher should call the students on alternate days or talk to them on video call. It is also instructed to give online classes, by including the children and their parents, at least once in a week. The teachers are also directed to ensure the availability of the medicine, food and other services needed for children during the period of covid, associating with the respective LSGIs. Various training for the mental health of the students and their parents will be given online under the leadership of the District Missions of Kudumbashree.
Online therapy service is being given to the BUDS students in 6 districts who need therapy, associating with Composite Regional Centre (CRC), headquartered at Kozhikode, as therapy is inevitable for many of these children. In addition, various ideas are being formulated and implemented by the respective districts based on the amenities available in the respective areas.
BUDS Institutions, a convergence project of Kudumbashree and Local Self Government Institutions functions for the children with intellectual disabilities. 9545 students are studying and getting trained in 342 BUDS Institutions which function across the state.
