KOCHI: Despite the pronouncements to bring intellectually challenged persons to the forefront of society, special schools in the state are in crisis, as a result of the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards meeting its financial obligations.
Nearly 5,000-odd teaching and non-teaching staff of nearly 300 special schools have been working without pay for the last nine months. Now, they are threatening to hit the streets with protests if the situation prolongs.
Susheela Kuriachan, president of the Association of Intellectually Disabled (AID), an umbrella organisation of special schools for the intellectually disabled, said with government funds drying out, employees have not been paid since June 2022. “Of the `45 crore allotted for special schools in the 2022-23 budget, we are yet to receive any amount so far,” she said.
There are around 300 special schools in Kerala. They are categorised into four grades: A, B, C and D (A-grade schools have more than 100 students, with 50-99 students in B; 25-49 students in C; and less than 25 students in D grade schools). According to officials, the criterion of classification itself is unscientific. The schools will be given registration only if there are 20 students below 18 years.
Around 60 special schools, mostly D grade ones, lost their registration as they fell short on student numbers. This is an unscientific criterion. “There are schools that lost the registration after one or two students passed the age of 18,” said Susheela. Moreover, according to guidelines, the ratio between teachers and students should be 1:8, and 1:15 between non-teaching staff and students. But, funds are not allocated based on the guidelines, and only a few teachers get their pay.
Jose Augustine, a father of an intellectually disabled person and a campaigner for their rights, said that even scholarships for intellectually disabled persons are not given regularly. The revision in the criteria for application has created difficulty.
“Now, we need to submit a medical board certificate with a statement from a psychologist while applying for a scholarship. But only a few government hospitals have psychologists. Thus, these parents have to depend on private hospitals by paying Rs 1,000-2,000 a year for consultation. Not everyone can afford this,” he said.
Jose said many special schools have closed down. “If these children are sent to special schools, they can learn basic life skills and their parents can go to work. But many schools are being closed for reasons that are not clear yet,” he added.