Even as the last census highlighted that Karnataka has more than 3.30 lakh specially abled children aged 5-19, government data revealed that only 86,674 children with special needs — 50,543 boys and 36,131 girls — are enrolled in government schools across the state.
Experts said while the number of children with special needs must have increased, government efforts to include them in schools and prevent dropouts are nowhere to be seen and even when efforts are made, they are not uniform and fair towards all districts.
Between 2017-18 and 2022-23, the education department did not use Rs 137.95 crore (12%) of its funds, intended for the distribution of motorised vehicles. On the other hand, CSR funds for special education schools were heavily concentrated only in Bengaluru, with Rs 207.65 crore granted to just seven institutions between 2017 and 2022, sources from the department told The New Indian Express.
While the Supreme Court has advocated for the inclusion of children with special needs and for training teachers to teach them, several parents said many children with a disability are still being denied admission to mainstream schools. Experts and parents of children with disabilities lamented that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) are just confined to paper.
Development Educationist Prof Niranjanaradhya questioned why the government was not implementing strict plans to extend support beyond Bengaluru. “The government starts in Bengaluru to show the progress, but does not even complete it here, let alone reach other districts. What is even the purpose of holding assembly sessions in Belagavi, meant to address the gaps in other districts, when the government continues to neglect them?” he argued, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
Even most schools lack the resources to properly support these children. Before children can even check for resources, the infrastructure itself denies them access, he added.
Multiple surveys and reports, including the CAG report, suggested that over 20,000 schools in Karnataka lack ramps, 28,843 are without handrails and more than 52,000 are without toilets for children with special needs.
Sources told The New Indian Express that even schools with ramps fail to encourage children with special needs. “During various inspections, we found these ramps being used by teachers as a parking space for two-wheelers,” an official said.
A department official said no private school can deny education to students based on their disabilities. “Under the Shala Suraksha initiative, private schools cannot refuse admission to students with special needs who wish to learn and pay fees."
However, the private schools' association argued that implementing this policy has not been easy, particularly regarding human resources and infrastructure. It pointed out that the government does not provide funding for enrolling special needs students.
When The New Indian Express reached out to parents of children with disabilities, they shared that they were never able to get their child admitted to a mainstream school at once. Once enrolled, teachers constantly complained that the child disturbed the class and was seen as a 'nuisance.'
