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.
