VICĒṬA TĒVAIYUṬAIYA MĀṆAVARKAḶ KAṞṞALIL ETIRKOḶḶUM CAVĀLKAḶUM AVARKAḶUKKĀṈA KAṞṞAL VĀYPPUKKAḶUM [CHALLENGES FACED BY STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM]
Contemporary school curriculum more emphasis on student-centered in which is expected to provide an opportunity for learning for all students in the classroom. Students have diverse needs in their learning. There are individual differences and special educational needs among students in the classrooms. Teachers should pay attention on students’ diverse needs and their special educational needs. The main purpose of this study was to find out the Challenges faced by students with special needs and learning opportunities for them in the secondary schools. The study was conducted on 50 students and 20 teachers from 5 schools selected from the Tamil language secondary schools in Kalpitiya zonal of education. There were five research questions have been put forward for achieving the purpose of the study. Research tools such as questionnaire observation interviews have been used to gather the information needed for this study. The data obtained from the students and teachers selected for the study is analyzed through charts of tables. It was found that Students with special needs lagged in the learning activities in the classrooms. Therefore, it is recommended that the teachers should take more about the students with learning difficulties and ensure involvements in the learning activities.