Lok Sabha Question No. 4235 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-29
Subject: Teachers for Disables
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Supriya Sadanand Sule, Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, DNV Senthilkumar. S.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT DEPARTMENT OF EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4235

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.03.2022

## TEACHERS FOR DISABLES

4235.   SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE: SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE: SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA: DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE: DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR. S.:

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  there  are  less  number  of  trained  teachers  available  to  teach  disabled  children  in  the country and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the corrective steps taken in this regard;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  requirement  of  trained  teachers  to  teach  disabled children as per the guidelines issued by the Rehabilitation Council of India;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the trained teachers for disabled are considered at par with other teachers and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether one trained teacher is required per thousand disabled/special needs children  and if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon;
- (f) the other steps taken by the Government to engage more trained teachers for disabled children?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SUSHRI PRATIMA BHOUMIK)

- (a)  to  (c)  Relief  to  the  disabled  is  a  State  subject  by  virtue  of  Entry  9  of  State  List  of  the Constitution of India. Further, Education is in the concurrent list of the constitution and majority of the  schools  are  under  the  domain  of  respective  States/UTs.  This  Ministry  has  not  done  any assessment with respect to requirement of trained teachers for teaching children with disabilities. However,  the  Central  Government  has  set-up  the  Rehabilitation  Council  of  India  (RCI)  with  a view to regulate education and training in the field of rehabilitation, including special education of persons  with  disabilities  (PwDs).  RCI  has  informed  that  1,35,643  special  educators  serving  in disability sector are registered, as on 24.03.2022, in the Central Rehabilitation Register maintained by it.
- (d)  This  Ministry  has  not  issued  any  guidelines  regarding  teacher to  student  ratio  for  teaching children  with disabilities. However, the Ministry implements Deendayal  Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme  (DDRS)  to  provide  grant-in-aid  to  NGOs/voluntary  organisations  for  running  various projects  including  special  schools,  under  which  the  ratio  of  teachers  to  beneficiary  for  different categories of persons with disabilities is as follows:

1:8 for Intellectual Disability and children with speech and hearing disability; 1:8 to 1:2 for severe cases of children with multiple disabilities; and 1:15 to 1:8 for children with visual disability.

(e)  Rehabilitation  Council  of  India  has  informed  that  at  primary  and  middle  level,  the  trained teachers for persons with disabilities are considered at par with other general teachers.

(f) The Central Government enacted the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, which came into  force  on  19.04.2017.  Section  17  of  the  said  Act, inter-alia, mandates  the  appropriate Government and local authorities to train and employ teachers, including teachers with disability who  are  qualified  in  sign  language  and  Braille  and  also  teachers  who  are  trained  in  teaching children  with  intellectual  disability.  It  also  mandates  to  train  professionals  and  staff  to  support inclusive  education  at  all  levels  of  school  education.  The  Department  of  School  Education  & Literacy, Ministry of Education has requested all States/UTs to avail the services of special trained teachers as itinerant teachers as per the Samagra Shiksha, within the school block (cluster schools) until  sufficient  number  of  special  teachers  becomes  available  for  general  schools  and  special schools to optimize the resource persons. The Department of School Education & Literacy has also informed that under their National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) training programme, 642180 general teachers were trained on inclusive education for children with special needs, whereas 662944 general teachers were trained under the said program during the year 2019-20.

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