Budget sets aside Rs 17 crore for special schools, Rs 26 crore for Buds schools

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance minister T. M. Thomas Isaac has earmarked Rs 17 crore for special schools, and Rs 26 crore for Buds schools. He also announced Buds schools in 200 more panchayats, when the government was dilly-dallying on granting aided status to 33 special schools. There are 290 special schools run by government-approved voluntary organisations. The minister waxed eloquent about the small minority denied of security shields. Mr Isaac recalled writer Jayasree Mishra’s novel, ‘Ancient Promises’ that the situation among the special needs children has to change from being a dismal place.

Deccan Chronicle had reported on Jan 10 that social justice department was planning to come up with a grading system for these schools demanding for quite some time the aided category status. Father Roy Vadakkel, chairman of Association for Intellectually Disabled (AID), said Rs 17 crore earmarked was actually meant for those regular schools providing help to special needs students.

He said there was no point in enhancing the existing facilities as students are provided free education when special needs students have to pay a fee. “It is disappointing to note that there is no mention of our long-standing demand. The only consolation is that the existing Rs 13 crore grant has been increased to Rs 40 crore,” Father Vadakkel, director of Asha Nilayam Special School for Mentally Challenged Children at Ponkunnam in Kottayam, told DC.

While the social justice department officials are keen to improve the lives of the special needs students, their parents and teachers, he said, the Left Government was turning a blind eye. On Friday, there was a high-level meeting with the social justice department officials and State Association for Co-ordinating Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Developmentally Disabled (SACRED) that formally agreed to hold separate sports and culture festivals for special needs children having all types of disabilities.