Lok Sabha Question No. 2435 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-31
Subject: Schools for Special Children and Divyangs
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SANGANNA AMARAPPA KARADI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2435 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2017

## Schools for Special Children and Divyangs.

## 2435.  SHRI SANGANNA AMARAPPA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state;

- (a) whether the Government proposes to sanction/ open some new schools in rural as well as in developed areas in the country for special/ mentally challenged divyang students and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  number  of  such  schools  in  the  country  at  present,  State/UT-wise,  especially  in Karnataka;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  any  policy  or  guidelines  to  provide  admission  to such students in nearby schools on preference basis across the country to save their travelling time and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  received  any  complaints  from  the  parents  against  any schools for not providing admission to such children and if so, the details thereof along with the action taken against such schools State/UT-wise;
- (e) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  fix  some  quota  for  admission  of  such children in schools and if so, the details thereof;
- (f) whether the Government proposes any special facilities or aid to such students to help in getting education in easy way and if so, the details thereof; and
- (g) whether the Government also proposes to fix quota for such students in Government services and if so, the details thereof ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

- (a) No Madam. There is no provision in the Ministry of Human Resource Development to sanction/ open new schools for special/ mentally challenged divyang students.

However,  Under  the  Sarva  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA)  of  this  Ministry,  focus  is  on providing  inclusive  education  to  children  with  special  needs  (CWSN)  in  a  neighborhood school,  wherein  children  with  and  without  disabilities  participate  and  learn  together  in  the same class.

Similarly  under  Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RMSA),  the  Scheme Inclusive  Education  of  Disabled  at  Secondary  Stage  (IEDSS)  is  implemented  to  enable  all students with disabilities an opportunity to complete four years of secondary schooling in an inclusive and enabled environment.

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with  Disabilities  is  implementing  a  scheme  namely  Deendayal  Disabled  Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) under which grant-in-aid is provided to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for running special schools after functioning for a minimum period of 2 years. It does not provide funds for opening of special schools or any other project under DDRS.

(b) The numbers of special schools assisted by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities  are  371  during  2016-17.  The  total  no.  of  special  schools  being  assisted  in Karnataka are 5 in the year of 2016-17 (Information given at Annexure).

(c) The focus of SSA is on providing inclusive education to CWSN in a neighborhood schools. IEDSS under RMSA encourages students with disabilities to complete four years of secondary schooling (classes IX to XII) by taking admission in the neighborhood secondary school. The enabling feature in the scheme is the provision of transport and escort allowances. This  activity  is  sanctioned  under  the  schemes  annually  to  encourage  and  enable  CWSN  to attend regular school and to save their travelling time.

(d) The matter relating to not providing admission to children comes within the purview of State Government.

(e) As per RTE Amendment Act, 2012, children with disability have been included in the 25% admission quota given to disadvantaged children in private schools in consonance with Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act. The act is an enabling legislation and does not restrict access to children with disability to neighborhood schools within 25% reservation alone.

(f) Section 17 of the said Act, mandates Government and the local authorities to provide the following to children with disabilities:-

(i)  Books,  other  learning  materials  and  appropriate  assistive  devices  to  students  with benchmark disabilities free of cost up to the age of eighteen years; (ii) to provide scholarships in appropriate cases to students with benchmark disability; (iii) to make suitable modifications in the curriculum and examination system to meet the needs of students with disabilities such as extra time for completion of examination paper, facility of scribe, exemption from second and third language courses.

SSA provides Rs. 3000/- per child per annum for the interventions related to education of  CWSN.  The  major  interventions  under  SSA  are  provision  of  free  aids  and  appliances, transport, escort support, appointment of resource teachers, therapeutical support and barrier free access etc.

Under  IEDSS  in  addition  to  the  above  listed  interventions,  Rs.3000/-  per  child  per annum  is  provided  as  Central  Assistance  to  be  topped  by  the  States  by  a  scholarship  of Rs.600/- per disabled child per annum. This includes monthly stipend of Rs. 200/- to the Girl students with disability.

(g)  As  per  Section  34  (1)  of  the  Rights  of  Persons  with  Disabilities  Act,  2016,  every appropriate Government is mandated to appoint in every Government establishment, not less than four per cent of the total number of vacancies in the cadre strength in each group of posts meant to be filled with persons with benchmark disabilities of which, one percent each shall be reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities namely (i) blindness and low vision; (ii) deaf  and  hard  of  hearing;  (iii)  locomotor  disability  including  cerebral  palsy,  leprosy  cured, dwarfism,  acid  attack  victims  and  muscular  dystrophy;    iv)  autism,  intellectual  disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; (v) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness in the posts identified for each disabilities.

***

Annexure

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of LSUQ No.2435 for 31.07.2017

| S.No.   | Name of State        | 2014 - 15                   | 2014 - 15      | 2015 - 16                   | 2015 - 16      | 2016 - 17                   | 2016 - 17      |
|---------|----------------------|-----------------------------|----------------|-----------------------------|----------------|-----------------------------|----------------|
| S.No.   | Name of State        | No. of Spl. School Assisted | Amount Release | No. of Spl. School Assisted | Amount Release | No. of Spl. School Assisted | Amount Release |
| 1.      | Andhra Pradesh       | 53                          | 809.01         | 57                          | 747.83         | 75                          | 856.02         |
| 2.      | Andaman & Nicobar    | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 3.      | Arunachal Pradesh    | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 4.      | Assam                | 6                           | 56.29          | 4                           | 47.7           | 3                           | 24.22          |
| 5.      | Bihar                | 3                           | 36.26          | 5                           | 34.89          | 6                           | 24.31          |
| 6.      | Chandigarh           | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 7.      | Chhattisgarh         | 5                           | 20.55          | 7                           | 37.24          | 5                           | 14.70          |
| 8.      | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 9.      | Daman &Diu           | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 10.     | Delhi                | 9                           | 42.57          | 12                          | 170.89         | 8                           | 51.72          |
| 11.     | Goa                  | 1                           | 10.09          | 1                           | 8.87           | 1                           | 4.89           |
| 12.     | Gujarat              | 14                          | 50.74          | 9                           | 39.16          | 4                           | 13.88          |
| 13.     | Harayana             | 14                          | 81.38          | 12                          | 53.01          | 15                          | 76.71          |
| 14.     | Himachal Pradesh     | 2                           | 4.89           | 2                           | 5.75           | 2                           | 1.33           |
| 15.     | Jammu & Kashmir      | 1                           | 0.21           | 0                           | 0              | 1                           | 3.25           |
| 16.     | Jharkhand            | 1                           | 0.77           | 1                           | 0.41           | 1                           | 0.94           |
| 17.     | Karnataka            | 8                           | 65.81          | 6                           | 66.05          | 5                           | 59.53          |
| 18.     | Kerala               | 41                          | 519.43         | 30                          | 344.19         | 36                          | 324.61         |
| 19.     | Lakshadweep          | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 20.     | Madhya Pradesh       | 12                          | 109.88         | 16                          | 75.89          | 13                          | 63.54          |
| 21.     | Maharashtra          | 29                          | 162.60         | 17                          | 90.81          | 17                          | 90.29          |
| 22.     | Manipur              | 19                          | 118.52         | 16                          | 173.43         | 17                          | 128.67         |
| 23.     | Meghalaya            | 4                           | 23.84          | 5                           | 28.24          | 5                           | 46.46          |
| 24.     | Mizoram              | 2                           | 23.93          | 2                           | 11.25          | 2                           | 7.38           |
| 25.     | Nagaland             | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 26.     | Odisha               | 30                          | 312.00         | 33                          | 397.32         | 28                          | 247.43         |
| 27.     | Puducherry           | 1                           | 7.18           | 1                           | 14.83          | 1                           | 7.16           |
| 28.     | Punjab               | 11                          | 120.61         | 4                           | 37.11          | 9                           | 66.73          |
| 29.     | Rajasthan            | 15                          | 85.87          | 17                          | 102.6          | 15                          | 87.18          |
| 30.     | Sikkim               | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              | 0                           | 0              |
| 31.     | Tamil Nadu           | 09                          | 40.09          | 17                          | 157.94         | 12                          | 61.02          |
| 32.     | Telangana            | 56                          | 656.84         | 48                          | 699.64         | 23                          | 277.74         |
| 33.     | Tripura              | 2                           | 8.44           | 1                           | 1              | 3                           | 3.37           |
| 34.     | Uttar Pradesh        | 38                          | 273.31         | 41                          | 484.36         | 38                          | 341.67         |
| 35.     | Uttrakhand           | 5                           | 28.95          | 7                           | 36.88          | 1                           | 5.41           |
| 36.     | West Bengal          | 13                          | 86.50          | 26                          | 223.02         | 25                          | 242.81         |
|         | Total                | 405                         | 3756.58        | 397                         | 4090.31        | 371                         | 3132.97        |