Odisha special needs student enrolment high, but experts seek more trained educators

Bhubaneswar: Enrolment of children with special needs (CwSN) in schools remains substantial in Odisha, but experts urged the need for ensuring availability of an adequate number of trained educators.

According to data shared by minister of state for education Jayant Chaudhary in the Rajya Sabha recently, Odisha had 7,142 schools with dedicated special educators in 2024-25, placing it among the better-performing states in terms of institutional coverage. However, experts cautioned that these numbers must be assessed against the scale of enrolment and the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.


The ministry’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data shows that Odisha enrolled 82,223 children with special needs in 2024-25. While this marks a decline from the highest of 1.46 lakh students in 2021-22, the number is higher than Punjab (53,761), Rajasthan (70,200) and Telangana (72,672). However, Odisha trails Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra in the number of schools with special educators. At the national level, CwSN enrolment stood at 21.49 lakh in 2024-25, with UP alone accounting for over 3.33 lakh students.

Under RTE norms, a special educator is required for every 10 special children at the primary level and for every 15 students at the upper primary and secondary levels. Educationists said that Odisha’s current enrolment indicates the need for several thousand trained special educators, particularly in rural and tribal districts where access to specialised support remains uneven.

Members of the Odisha Special Educator Federation for Divyang alleged that only a limited number of schools have dedicated special educators, despite statutory provisions mandating their appointment. According to state govt data, there are 570 special educators working as block resource persons, 1,136 in regular schools and 74 junior teachers with qualifications in special education, all registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India.

Federation member Rakesh Sahoo said the existing strength falls far short of requirements when student-teacher ratios are taken into account.

A senior official of the school and mass education department said the govt decided around two months back to appoint 4,500 special educators for regular schools over a period of three years, adding that an advertisement for recruitment would be issued soon.