Only 598 teachers for over 47K students with special needs in Punjab

Mahesh Sharma

Malerkotla, June 26

Successive governments have failed to bridge the gap between the number of children with special needs (CWSN) enrolled at various government and private-aided schools of the state and special teachers employed for them on a regular basis.

One teacher for one school

Sources in the state education department revealed that there are 12,880 primary, 2,670 middle, 1,740 high and 1,972 senior secondary schools in the state. These, thus, reflect a requirement of more than 19,000 special teachers in the state as against the present strength of 598.

If 386 contractual special teachers and 98 assistant diploma holders are added to the list of only 123 regular itinerant special education teachers of Punjab, educator-pupil ratio comes out to be 80 as against ideal ratio of one teacher for ten primary wing children with special needs and one teacher for 15 middle-class children with special needs.

As far as one special teacher per school norm recommended by the Education Department of the Union Government is concerned, the ideal ratio seems to be unachievable in the state in near future.

Residents, including parents of the ignored beneficiary children and unemployed special teachers have urged the higher authorities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to ensure that enrolled and thousands of un-enrolled children with special needs are not deprived of their right to free and compulsory education.

Residents led by president of Unemployed Special Teachers Union Amandeep Singh Kalyan alleged that children with special needs students had been suffering due to alleged impractical educator-pupil ratio as there are only five special teachers to take care of special needs of 859 students enrolled at 224 schools of Malerkotla district. Though seven teachers have been posted in the district, two of these have been sent on deputation to Patiala district.

In Malerkotla subdivision, 375 students are enrolled at 77 schools whereas Ahmedgarh subdivision has enrolment of 263 students at 81 schools. In Amargarh, 221 students are enrolled at 66 schools, according to information provided by the district education office.

According to an affidavit submitted by the Secretary to Government of Punjab, Department of Education in the Supreme Court of India, as on October 13, 2023, there were 598 (including 386 contractual and 89 assistant teachers of special education with diploma) to take care of 47,979 children with special needs in nine categories.

Earlier on September 14, 2022, a committee was constituted for finding exact number of vacancies on the basis of exact number of CWSN students. The government had also confirmed that the norm of one special teacher for each school was intact, in the same affidavit.

Though exact information about number of enrolled special students and required number of special teachers is yet to be announced by the government, sources in the education department revealed that there are 12,880 primary, 2,670 middle, 1.740 high and 1,972 senior secondary schools in the state, thus, reflecting requirement of more than 19,000 special teachers in the state as against present strength of 598.

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