ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Odisha has 94,031 Children with Special Needs (CwSN) enrolled in schools, while 7,040 schools have dedicated special educators, according to data shared by Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday.
The figures, based on UDISE+ 2025-26, were provided in a written reply to a question on the availability of special educators in schools.
At the national level, 22,11,226 CwSN are enrolled across schools, with 1,16,695 schools having dedicated special educators. Uttar Pradesh has the highest CwSN enrolment at 3,72,739, followed by Maharashtra with 2,53,792 and Bihar with 1,79,917.
Odisha, with 94,031 CwSN, ranks among the states with substantial enrolment of children requiring special educational support, he said.
Under the Centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha scheme, the Centre supports states and Union Territories (UTs) in providing equitable and inclusive education from pre-primary to Class XII.
However, recruitment and service-related matters concerning teachers, including special educators, remain under the respective state governments and UT administrations, the minister said.
The Samagra Shiksha framework allows special educators to be deployed at the block or cluster level and work in an itinerant mode, covering a group of schools where CwSN are enrolled, he added.
The Centre has also notified pupil-teacher ratios for special educators in general schools.
Under a notification issued in September 2022, there should be one special educator for every 10 CwSN at the primary level and one for every 15 CwSN at the upper-primary level, according to the response.
Financial assistance is provided to states and UTs under Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI for strengthening school education, including maintaining appropriate pupil-teacher ratios and supporting inclusive education.
The framework also provides for two Resource Persons for CwSN at each Block Resource Centre (BRC), it said.
The ministry said teachers and special educators are supported through continuous professional development, in-service training and awareness programmes on inclusive education.
The NCERT has developed online training modules under NISHTHA to help general teachers address the diverse learning needs of CwSN.
The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) has also incorporated two dedicated credits on Inclusive Education for CwSN in the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP).
Meanwhile, the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) has approved 1,081 institutions and universities to offer courses in disability rehabilitation and special education, aimed at creating a pool of qualified professionals, including special educators.
