Create central database to facilitate employment of PwD students: Odisha govt

BHUBANESWAR: The state government has asked the School and Mass Education and Higher Education departments to create a central database of differently-abled students for enabling employment opportunities for them after they pass out.

The department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) had urged both departments to take necessary measures in this regard. Lack of a central database is posing a major challenge in keeping track of students in schools and colleges, it said.

SSEPD additional secretary Sonia Behera has pointed out that the section 35 of the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act 2016 stipulates that the government and local authorities, within their economic capacity and development, provide incentive to employers in private sector to ensure that at least five per cent of their workforce is composed of persons with benchmark disability.

Formulation of a scheme or programme is required to ensure participation of the differently-abled pass-outs in the workforce of private sector organisations. However, in absence of any central database on these students, the department is not being able to do much in this regard, Behera stated.

“The department doesn’t have actual data on the number of students getting enrolled in schools and colleges, their dropout rates and how many students are continuing their education and excelling in it. Further, it is also unknown whether there is a central dataset of the students qualifying every year,” the SSEPD official stated, while urging the departments to develop the database that would help government to get degreewise, rankwise and sectorwise details of students with benchmark disabilities.