Odisha govt orders survey of special schools without recognition

It will be the responsibility of the DSSOs to ensure that such schools in their jurisdiction obtain the permission from the department for continuation of their operation.

In September last year, the CAG, in a report, had pointed out that both the SSEPD department and School and Mass Education (SME) department had violated norms by allowing 35 per cent of the audited open schools for special children to operate without registration. File photo | X

BHUBANESWAR: Months after the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) rap, the state government on Friday ordered a comprehensive survey of special schools run by different NGOs in the state to ensure no such schools function without obtaining required permission or recognition from the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department.

The direction was issued by SSEPD additional secretary Bhaskar Raito to all district social security officers (DSSOs). Raito informed the DSSO that the survey will be taken up to identify all special schools being run by the NGOs without the knowledge or approval of the SSEPD department.

If any such schools are found, they will be asked to submit application to the department along with all required documents in accordance with the government guidelines and provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, and seek permission and recognition for their functioning.

It will be the responsibility of the DSSOs to ensure that such schools in their jurisdiction obtain the permission from the department for continuation of their operation. They have been asked to submit a districtwise report containing the name and address of each of these schools, the NGOs managing them and the status of their recognition or application for necessary action at the department’s end.

In September last year, the CAG, in a report, had pointed out that both the SSEPD department and School and Mass Education (SME) department had violated norms by allowing 35 per cent of the audited open schools for special children to operate without registration. The CAG had also underlined that officials concerned including collectors never monitored functioning of such schools despite government mandate.

The state has around 108 special schools of which four are under the administrative control of the SME department. All these schools are required to be registered under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and also follow RTE norms. The NGOs get grant-in-aid from the government every month to run these schools.