news details |
|
|
| J&K Govt leaves mentally challenged children in lurch | | Fails to formulate education policy; Art 370 deprives them of benefits enjoyed by other states | | Shiv Dev Thakur
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 19: Tall claims of the Government about it working overtime to improve the education sector in Jammu and Kashmir are confined to papers only as the state Government has failed to formulate proper education policy for thousands of mentally challenged children across J&K.
According to the data available with Early Times the total population of differently abled children in J&K as per census, 2001, is 3.67 lakhs. Out of the total disabled, about 24,879 individuals have been categorized as mentally challenged which constitutes 8.2% of the disabled in J&K. The educational level of mentally retarded individuals as compared to the general population tends to depict a gloomy situation.
Reliable sources said that there are only 5 schools in J&K, catering to the learning needs of the mentally retarded and approximately 150 students are on rolls and all are studying at the primary grades and even among disabled literates, a significant proportion was not even educated upto primary level in case of mentally retarded children in both urban and rural areas.
Sources also said that a majority of the teachers lack specific training to teach the mentally retarded children in effective way where as majority of parents are also unaware of various educational facilities available for the mentally retarded children.
They said that the mentally challenged children have not been recognized as a separate category among the disabled. "The hospital records are deficient as these do not differentiate mentally retarded from mentally ill," said the sources. They said that even a DRC is sanctioned for Jammu but is still awaiting the inauguration.
"According to Art 29 and 30, the Government and the local authorities shall establish schools to give compulsory education to each and every child and it is duty of Government to ensure and monitor compulsory admission by each and every child of age 6 to 14 years, but the Government has not established schools for special children, but all this is not applicable in J&K. How pathetic...???" said the sources.
Partap Singh Jamwal, a prominent student leader and state secretary, BJYM said, "It is the fundamental right of every citizen to have education as the right to life under Article 21 of the constitution of India and the dignity of an individual cannot be assured unless it is accompanied by the right to education".
He said that a survey must be conducted to identify the total population of mentally challenged individuals and the education and rehabilitation of the same must be replaced in systematic manner. He added that the not only education but OPD facilities, medicines and interest free loans should be provided to these individuals in order to encourage self employment as these individuals who are adult and have crossed the childhood must not depend on parents. He added that two major acts were passed for the welfare of differently abled individuals throughout whole India, "Person with Disability Act 1995 and National Trust act 1999," but the J&K is still deprived of this owing to the so called special status of J&K under Article 370. "Isn't this special status depriving J&K of the facilities and laws applicable to whole of India...??" , he added.
Rohinica Sharma, a research scholar in special education said that a lot requires to be done in the direction of the identification, education and rehabilitation of the mentally challenged children.
She said that the special schools and teacher training institutes should be opened to train the teachers to handle such students. She said that not only schools but some vocational training centres must be opened for preparing these children or adults to earn for their livelihood and not to depend on others as the other states have opened many vocational centres to train the same.
Director Social welfare, MS Choudhary when contacted by Early Times said one Government institute and two private institutions are running to provide education to the blind children and some mentally challenged children are also there but there is no such institute established to cover-up mentally retarded children only.
He said that the Social welfare Department's only role is to provide grant-in-aid to such institutions otherwise the department has no control over these in managing or running such institutes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
