The Odisha state government has asked Balasore Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde to investigate complaints of inadequate education at the Handicapped Welfare Institute, a school for handicapped children in Balasore. Since 1987, the school, which serves the educational requirements of blind, deaf, and intellectually disabled students, has been receiving a Government Grant-in-Aid (GIA).
The institution was in violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 (RPwD Act 2016) and the department's GIA guidelines, stated disability rights activist Dibakar Shaw. According to The New Indian Express, Shaw filed a complaint against the school administration with the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities department.
The school provides education from pre-primary through Class VII, with 90 children with intellectual disabilities and 80 blind and deaf students enrolled. Due to a shortage of competent teachers and facilities, the number of children with intellectual disabilities has decreased over time to 55, while there are only 18 blind and deaf students.
Locals claim that, in addition to a shortage of teachers, there are no basic amenities such as drinking water or restrooms, which is why pupils are dropping out. While school officials refused to comment, the department has requested that the collector provide a report on the claims.
