Scholastic status of congenitally blind children following sight surgery.

India is home to a large population of blind children, many with treatable conditions. Project Prakash identifies treatable blind children and provides them with eye surgeries. Once treated, these children are given the opportunity to further their education. To understand their educational needs, we undertook a diagnostic screening exercise. Specifically, we designed math proficiency assessments and evaluated the scholastic preparation of 54 Prakash children across a broad age range. We found that the proficiency of most Prakash children was well below age-appropriate levels. Even those enrolled in high schools had assessed proficiencies around the 3rd-grade level. Furthermore, due to a lack of basic instruction on interpreting print material, many children continued using Braille even after gaining sight. The contrast that these findings present relative to the official standing of the children in their schools makes a compelling case for more rigorous assessments and better educational interventions for visually-impaired/sight-restored children. Also, we argue that these educational interventions should be coupled with visual function assessments to ensure that the presented material is accessible to the child. Our scholastic assessments, suitable for being administered over the phone, will be made available for use by other researchers and educationists.