State dept yet to prepare action plan to implement Supreme Court order

Hyderabad: The State Disabled and Senior Citizens' Welfare Department (TSDSCWD) and the School Education department (SSED) have to prepare an action plan to implement the Supreme Court directive on the appointment of special teachers.

However, the departments are yet to hear the decision of the government on the issue. Earlier, the Apex Court made the State commissioners handling the welfare of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) under Section (79) and (81) of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD) responsible for the appointment of special teachers. It has asked them to make Suo Moto enquirers regarding the compliance of the directions and submit a report to the court by the end of February 2022. However, the issue to comply with the directions of the apex court falls on both the Department of Disabled and Senior Citizens and SSED, in particular, and other departments, like Finance. Speaking to The Hans India, a senior SSED official said, "While the State Commissioner of Disabled and Senior Citizens have to submit the compliance report to the court, at the same time, the preparation of the report needed coordination among different departments."

Because the apex court directions not only talks on the appointments in permanent posts as per the just ratio by qualified rehabilitation professionals and special teachers to address the needs of the Children With Special Needs (CWSN). It also directs to take steps by the teachers training schools and institutions to augment "rehabilitation professionals / special educators trained teachers" to overcome the shortage of resource persons. Until a sufficient number of specially trained teachers are available the directions allow "itinerant teachers as per the Samagra Sikha Abhiyan Scheme. Within the school block or cluster, schools optimise the resources persons as a measure of stop-gap arrangement.

Besides, teachers and staff working in general schools may be given compulsory training and sensitisation to handle the CWSN when such students are admitted to general schools. Also, it allows authorities to explore the possibility of merging unviable special schools with relatively viable schools in the neighbourhood. This is for better consolidation of assets and resources for better delivery to meet the needs of the CWSN.

Against this backdrop, the State Commissioner for Rights of Persons with Disabilities recently asked the SSED to nominate a senior official to act as a nodal officer.

It is meant for better coordination and communication with all the departments involved to speed up the process to comply with the apex court directions, said a senior official of the Department of Disabled & Senior citizens within the time frame specified by the SC.