Kerala: Trainers for special children cut down

KOZHIKODE: The state government has turned a blind eye to the needs of special children by  cutting short  the number of teachers training them. This has been done disregarding the order issued recently by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to ensure proper education and timely intervention for  the growth of special students in the state.     At present,  the state has allotted only 795 teacher posts for one lakh children in the special schools.    The government order  to cut short the existing number of teachers training special students was issued on March 31.  A  majority of them were appointed on contract basis. Mr  Noushad Thekayyil, a social activist from Kozhikode,  said, “the government is neglecting these children, which is evident from the way it has  gradually cut short the number of teachers in this sector citing  liability.”

“Timely training and a switch over to an ambience of a school where they can be taken care of by a teacher will help in improving their condition. Hence,  a teacher is essential.    There are many panchayats  in the district where there is not even one teacher to cater to the needs of  special children.   As per the guidelines of the education department, special student trainers should  visit a child  twice a week. But due to the shortage of staff,   one teacher is not able to cover a number  of children,” he pointed out.  N. Rohit, 13,  who has cerebral palsy,  is the happiest when at school, which is located a few km  from his house. “There has been a considerable change in his motor abilities after two years of formal education,”  said his mother.   “Though he is mostly bound to wheelchair, I can see him happier when he meets  his friends and teachers.  If the government removes  these trainers, parents like me will have a difficult time,”  she added.