A two-day educational tour to Amritsar was organized by the Department of Special Education, MIER College of Education recently. The aim and purpose of the tour was to visit different educational institutions in Amritsar working in the field of Rehabilitation and Special Education, further, to develop educational aesthetic and provide practical experience to students in the area of special education. Over 36 students and two faculty members, Dr. Behzad Maqbool and Mr. Kuldeep Singh, were part of the trip. The students visited Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar which was established on November 24, 1969, and is among the top ten “High Performing State Public Universities” across India. Recently GNDU started its Department of Special
Education, the students of MIER College visited the department and library of the university. The librarian briefed all the students about digital library software features and its benefits, moreover the students were also oriented about the facilities like E-Shod Sindhu, Shodhganga, Swayam, OPAC (Online Public Access
Catalogue) Digital System, etc. The students visited the resource and therapy centres and had an interaction with special educators regarding different challenges and practices in the field of special education. Prof. Amit Kauts, HoD, Department of Education, GNDU gave a lecture on current emerging trends and practices followed by question-and-answer session. The students visited the Golden Temple and took blessings at Sri Darbar Sahib. They also visited All India Pingal Wara Charitable Trust which is a 95 year old institution started by Bhagat Puran Singh. Shri Rajbir Singh, Principal, and Trust member apprised the students about the
history of Pingalwara and the life history of Bhagat Puran Singh ji. The students also got the chance to visit different units of Pingalwara namely, special school, residential home, old-age home, prosthetic centre, and therapy unit. All the students had a great exposure and invaluable learning experiences. The faculty and students came back rejuvenated and shared their experiences in the form of reflective journal.