Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite government initiatives promoting inclusivity, only 3.6% of teachers in Madhya Pradesh are adequately trained to teach the 1.5 lakh identified children with special needs (CWSN) who are enrolled in government and private schools from Class 1 to 8. Out of a total of 1.3 crore students in the state, the number of identified CWSN stands at 1.5 lakh.
However, only 10.2% of schools have special educators, highlighting a significant gap in the educational support for these children. Additionally, the Foundation, Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) training, which equips teachers with basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics excludes CWSN-specific education, leaving a critical gap in the training provided to teachers.
The FLN course doesn’t include courses for CWSN children in its curriculum. For academic year 2023-2024, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Department of School Education and Literacy allocated Rs 44.63 crore to Madhya Pradesh for enhancing inclusive education components. The union government increased the budget to Rs 54.36 crore for 2024-2025.
Despite these allocations, there is underutilisation of funds on the ground. An official responsible for overseeing the education of CWSN in the state told Free Press that while special training was provided to teachers, it was insufficient. “How can one effectively teach after only a few days of training?” he said.
Although funds have been allocated, they are not being properly utilised on the ground. Until higher authorities become more sensitive towards these children, meaningful change will not occur, he added.
The Act
The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, provides for access to free education in an appropriate environment for children with disabilities till they attain 18 years of age. Madhya Pradesh is the first state that has taken the initiative to use the ICT for the tracking the assistance being provided to the CWSN to ensure personalised follow-up.
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