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The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
2,260 special educator posts to be filled; recruitment notification awaited
Special education teachers across Andhra Pradesh are eagerly waiting for the release of the official recruitment notification, following the State government's recent announcement that 2,260 special education teacher posts would be filled. The recruitment drive follows a recent Supreme Court directive asking all States to bring out notifications about the number of posts they have sanctioned for teachers who would impart education to Children with Special Needs (CwSN). As per the guidelines established by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), the School Education Department in Andhra Pradesh is all set to recruit special educators in the proposed ratio of 1:10 for the elementary level and 1:15 for the secondary level in nine out of the total 21 categories of disabilities. RCI works under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and its primary objective is to promote education, rehabilitation, and employment of people with disabilities. Out of 21 disabilities, currently RCI has standard training programmes in nine categories that include blindness, low vision, hearing impairment (deaf and hard of hearing), intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, specific learning disabilities, speech and language disability, and multiple disabilities, including deaf-blindness. According to the UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) data for the academic year 2023-24 shows that there are 41,119 children with special needs categorised under nine different disabilities in government and government-aided schools in Andhra Pradesh. Of them, 11,360 are in 7,092 primary schools (Grades 1 to 5), which include institutions with less than 10 enrolled students. 'To maintain an optimal teacher-pupil ratio of 1:10 for these students, a total of 1,136 special educators are required,' said Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao. Similarly, there are 29,759 CwSN studying in 6,693 secondary schools, and as many as 1,984 inclusive education resource persons are needed to be recruited, as per the RCI's teacher-pupil ratio of 1:15, said Mr. Srinivasa Rao. Senior advisor to the Department of School Education on Inclusive Education Ramkamal says that the ultimate aim of the ongoing efforts is to blur the line between mainstream and special schools, ensuring children with disabilities are not segregated but included within the general education system. 'The State aspires to become a national model for inclusive education where every child, regardless of physical, intellectual, or learning challenges, receives equitable, quality education in a supportive environment.' Delay causing anxiety Members of the Andhra Pradesh Unemployed Special Teachers Federation, meanwhile, have expressed worry over the delay in the issue of notification for their recruitment. Pointing to several other states that have notified the recruitment process, they urged the State authorities to follow suit. Citing the data available with the Central government pertaining to the number of State-wise qualified special educators in 2021. They point out that Andhra Pradesh had 8,101 special teachers. 'Many more special teachers would have qualified in the last three-and-a-half years. We want the government to ensure justice for all,' said a federation leader.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
BM Education: Boosting autism support in schools nationwide
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Block Resource Centres Samagra Shiksha scheme Autism Therapist inclusive education In a focused effort to make education more inclusive, the government is enhancing support systems for(ASD) through its(BRCs). These centres are playing a crucial role in delivering specialized therapy services and educational interventions designed to help children with ASD reach their full developmental and learning the centrally sponsored, BRCs act as dedicated hubs providing therapy-based support tailored to meet the physical, cognitive, and communicative needs of children with special needs (CwSN). These centres offer a wide range of services, including occupational therapy to improve fine motor skills and daily living abilities, physiotherapy to enhance mobility and coordination, and speech therapy to address language delays and social interaction challenges. In addition, psychological and behavioural support helps children build emotional resilience, develop social skills, and gain BRC is staffed with trained resource persons, special educators, and therapists who collaborate with parents, teachers, and caregivers to create individualised intervention plans. The centres also conduct regular screening camps, parent counselling sessions, and teacher orientation programs to ensure that every child's unique needs are addressed. Additionally, BRCs facilitate access to assistive devices, teaching aids, and other educational resources to enhance learning experiences for children with Rao, a Child Development Specialist and, praised the integration of therapy services within the school system, calling it a transformative step towardin India. 'Children with ASD often face multiple challenges ranging from communication delays and sensory processing issues to social and behavioural difficulties. By incorporating essential therapies like speech and occupational therapy into the school environment, we're not only addressing developmental delays, but we're also fostering long-term independence, confidence, and readiness for learning,' she further emphasised that the collaborative approach where educators, therapists, and parents work together ensures that interventions are consistent and tailored to each child's specific needs. Early identification and intervention are crucial, and regular counselling and awareness sessions for families and teachers reduce stigma while promoting acceptance of neurodiversity.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Biannual survey, on-the-spot admission: SOP to bring out-of-school children back into education system
New Delhi: In a renewed push to reintegrate thousands of out-of-school children into classrooms, Samagra Shiksha , a society under the education department of Delhi govt, has issued a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for their identification, enrolment, and smooth inclusion into regular govt schools. The SOP, notified on May 1, also includes specific provisions for children with special needs (CwSN). The initiative aims to ensure that every child in the 6–14 age group, and up to 18 years for CwSN with benchmark disabilities, receives free and compulsory education as mandated under the Right to Education Act, 2009. The SOP is designed to simplify the admission process by requiring minimal documentation and to establish a time-bound mechanism for enrolling all identified children swiftly. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi According to the notification, biannual surveys will be conducted during summer and winter vacations by teams formed under Samagra Shiksha. Each school cluster will have at least one survey team, and more will be deployed in areas such as Mangolpuri, Janakpuri, Nangloi, Wazirpur, Sangam Vihar, and North East Delhi where probability of finding out-of-school children is high. Special focus will be placed on the inclusion of CwSN, with survey teams comprising special education teachers capable of identifying children with disabilities. District project officers and deputy directors of education will identify potential hotspots like unauthorised colonies, construction sites, industrial zones, and railway stations, and prepare area-specific survey schedules. Survey team members will collect necessary information, such as contact details and addresses, from parents or guardians. They are also required to counsel families on the importance of education and guide them through the enrolment process. The collected data will be shared with district project officers through the relevant resource coordinators for immediate action. To avoid delays, the SOP specifies that every identified child must be admitted within three working days to a nearby govt school, either directly in an age-appropriate class or into a special training centre for bridge education following a basic learning assessment. Admission will require only minimal documentation such as address proof, birth certificate, or an undertaking by the parent/guardian. A provisional admission valid for 30 days will be allowed on the basis of a simple handwritten undertaking. During this time, school heads and staff must assist in completing the documentation process with support from school management committee members and others. No child, including refugees, asylum seekers, destitute children, orphans, migrants, and homeless children, is to be denied admission due to lack of documentation. Heads of Schools across all govt schools under DoE, MCD, NDMC and DCB have been instructed to ensure children and parents are not stopped at school gates by security staff. Instead, they must be guided respectfully to the admission in-charge. School heads are also expected to sensitise their staff and security personnel on who to assist such parents and children. The SOP further urges school authorities to complete the admission process or at least give provisional admission on the same day, especially considering the economic hardship of many families. The school heads have been asked to avoid putting pressure on parents to visit Aadhaar centres, banks, or other govt offices for documentation and instead provide necessary help at the school level, in a language and manner they can easily understand. The district project officers will prepare daily reports on identified children and track their enrolment status. These reports are to be submitted to the Samagra Shiksha headquarters using a prescribed format for centralised monitoring. In addition to field surveys, the school heads must proactively deploy special training centres teachers or school management committee members in their areas to identify dropouts or children who never enrolled in school. The purpose is to integrate every out-of-school children and CwSN into regular schooling or special training centres as early as possible. According to official figures, there were 41,201 out-of-school children identified in Delhi in the 2023 academic session, a sharp increase from 29,711 in 2021–22 and 29,161 in 2020–21.
