No teachers for specially-abled kids in city

On Friday, the Delhi high court pulled up South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Delhi government for failure to provide special educators to mentally-challenged students in schools run by them in the capital. The court has directed the government and the corporation to file detailed reports on the number of mentally-challenged students studying in their schools.

While issuing notices to the Delhi government and SDMC, the court directed them to file affidavits within two weeks providing details as to what steps they have taken to implement the high court division bench order of 2009 that directed them to have at least two special educators in each school run by them.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the parents of two mentally-challenged students, seeking directions for immediate posting of special educators in Delhi government and SDMC run schools where their two kids are studying without learning anything as there are no teachers to take care of their education.

“There are over 30,000 students with disabilities studying in Delhi government and municipal corporation run schools but these hardly have any special educator to teach them. It is not only the violation of human and fundamental right to education of these children with disabilities as guaranteed to them in the Constitution under the RTE Act (2009) but also tantamount to contempt of court,” argued advocate Ashok Agarwal.

Mamta and her husband Shyam Nandan sell vegetable in Katwaria Sarai in south Delhi.

Their two sons — both mentally challenged to varying degrees — have studied at government and municipality run schools for years, but have learnt nothing. Ask them why and they say the schools have no special educators for students with special needs.

While Shubham (9) a student of Class 4 at SDMC primary school, Katwaria Sarai, is suffering 50 per cent mental retardation, Satyam (16) is 75 per cent mentally challenged. He left school when he was in Class 6 at the government Boys Senior Secondary School.

They have approached the Prime Minister and Delhi chief minister to seek directions on the matter.