Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The School Education Department emphasizes the importance of inclusive education for Children with Special Needs (CWSN). However, despite this commitment, only 6.1% of schools in the state have CWSN-friendly toilets.
A recent report by the Ministry of Education’s Department of School Education and Literacy has highlighted the dire state of infrastructure for CWSN in government schools across the state. Shockingly, only 5.7% of these toilets are functional. Out of a total of 92,695 government schools in the state, just 5,658 schools have toilets for CWSN students, and only 5,310 of these facilities are operational.
The data, which pertains to the academic year 2021-2022, was collected through voluntary submissions from schools using the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) platform.
The report also shows that many schools lack essential accessibility features. 12,984 schools do not have ramps, while 57,145 schools are missing ramps with handrails, making it difficult for CWSN students to navigate the premises safely.
The situation is equally concerning in government-aided schools across the state. Of the 740 such schools, 627 do not have CWSN-friendly toilets, and among the schools that do, only 105 have functional facilities. Additionally, 167 schools lack ramps, and 461 schools have ramps without handrails.
An official from the State Education Department said that conditions have improved from last year. "We are actively holding district-wise meetings with officials associated with CWSN and conducting training programs that can help the children."
Founder of Umang Gauravdeep Welfare Society, which works for the upliftment of CWSN children, told Free Press:
"Inclusivity is important, but first we need to change the mindset of the people and the way they look up to special children. Only then will everything improve. It is essential for schools to construct toilets and ramps for such children if they are studying in these schools."
National Level Comparison:
On a national level, 26.96% of schools had CWSN-friendly toilets in 2021-2022, a slight increase from 25.25% in 2020-2021. Similarly, 49.72% of schools nationwide had ramps with handrails, compared to 48.31% in the previous year.
