Hyderabad: Special colleges not required for blind

Abids: Opposing the recommendations of the Disabled Department to set up special junior colleges for blind students, the All India Confederation of Blind (AICB) said it would be a futile exercise and ineffective given the fact the available resources remain under underutilised.

In a media statement, PonugotiChokkarao, Confederation Secretary and Development and Welfare of the Blind (DWAB) General Secretary, stated that there is not enough encouragement for existing blind schools.

There are currently no students at the two blind junior private colleges run in Hyderabad and Mahbubnagar. There are more faculty than students in those colleges. "However, how can the Disabled Departmentmake such a recommendation to the government? This is how selfish people are misleading the government for their own self-interest," he stated.

He felt that he government should rather support the existing educational institutions and develop them. This new proposal is for the self-interest of some vested groups and not for the welfare of the blind. One hundred per cent blind are very few. Rest all are partially blind but avail on the benefits on par with the total blind, Chokka Rao said.

"We have opposed the Central government's initiative to set up a separate university for the blind in the past. The blind must not be separated from the mainstream of society," he said.