Sambalpur: As many as 6,545 specially-abled students in the state studying in special schools and a college have been deprived of education with the institutions remaining closed due to COVID-19 pandemic, a report said.
Guardians and teachers alleged that the closure of the schools and a college has affected their (students’) studies and deprived them of receiving their financial assistance since the month of July. The state government had deposited the financial assistance in advance for April, May and June in the accounts of the parents when it ordered for closure of schools.
Later, no financial assistance has been deposited since then. These schools have 980 trained and non-trained teachers. These schools are run by various NGOs with the fund available from the state government.
The development comes close on the heels of a state government decision to merge the schools with the nearby schools where the student strength is less than 20 in a class. The decision had rocked the state Assembly. Moreover, the demand by guardians and intellectuals to reopen the schools with all the safety measures has charged up the political atmosphere in the state.
Reports said that there are 103 special schools and a college for the specially-abled children functioning in the state. These 103 schools and the lone college impart education to 6,545 specially-abled children in the state.
Moreover, online education as promoted by the state government and Centre is of no use for these children who are mostly deaf and mute, visually challenged, mentally challenged, autistic and children suffering from cerebral palsy.
The state government has devised various methods to impart online education like audio recordings, formation of WhatsApp groups. Even at some places, teachers are personally visiting the homes of the student and teaching them. However, these methods are of little help to these students when it is difficult even to teach them even in a classroom.
This apart, 70 per cent of the guardians do not have a mobile phone while network glitch is often a problem for online education.
When contacted, Basant Sethy, secretary of the state body of teachers of special schools confirmed that closure of schools has severely hit the education of specially-abled children while the students have been deprived of financial assistance since the month of July. The school teachers have made several demands before the state government but they are yet to be realised.
Sulochana Das, state commissioner for persons with disabilities said that the problem faced by the special schools is more than what is faced by the students of common schools due to their closure for Covid pandemic. The state government and various departments are taking more steps for imparting online education to the students and providing funds for the purpose.
PNN
