THOOTHUKUDI: Collector Dr K Senthil Raj has unveiled school buses at the Vidhya Prakasam special school functioning under the differently-abled welfare department at Muthammal Colony in Thoothukudi, and at another special school in Kovilpatti town.
A total of over 120 special children study at both schools. The school in Thoothukudi is enclosed within an 'early autism intervention centre', while the Kovilpatti school houses an early intervention centre for mental illnesses.
In the presence of sub-collector Gaurav Kumar and Mayor NP Jegan, the collector inspected the schools and promised to take steps to construct more infrastructure required for the early intervention centres.
"The district administration has planned to select 15 students with disabilities for a self-employment training programme on small business activities. They will be trained on preparing plates from areca nut leaves and other jobs," he said.
It may be noted that the bus sponsored by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for the Thoothukudi school, and another bus sponsored by the National Engineering College for the Kovilpatti had been remaining inoperative for several months due to the unavailability of drivers and helpers.
The collector recently unveiled both buses by appointing drivers and helpers for the vehicles. During the inspection, the collector also took stock of the infrastructure facilities at the nearby Muthammalpuram rural library. District differently-abled welfare officer Sivasankaran and special teachers accompanied the collector.