NMC fails to appoint teachers for special kids

NAGPUR: As many as 796 children with special needs, identified by Nagpur Municipal Corporation in 2010, are yet to get proper training. Reason: The civic body has failed to appoint 40 trained educators including physiotherapist to teach such children. The proposal to appoint them is gathering dust since many months.Under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and directives from Maharashtra Prathamik Shiksha Parishad, Mumbai, it is mandatory for NMC to appoint special 'mobile' teachers. In the absence of trained educators, special children are struggling, said a parent requesting anonymity. The Parishad had sanctioned 1056 posts of mobile teachers for entire state. Of these, 24 posts were for Nagpur district and it was the responsibility of corporation to appoint them. Besides, the civic body was also told to appoint four resource persons including one physiotherapist, one occupational therapist, one speech therapist and one psychologist.Moreover, 10 posts of resource persons, who are supposed to work as a mediator in five urban resource centres in Nagpur city, were also not filled, though they were created a couple of years ago. Sources said that for all these 40 posts, NMC also received a salary grant of approximately Rs 49 lakh. If they are not filled, the funds will go back, sources pointed out.SSA has adopted a "zero rejection policy" that means no child is to be left out of school system including children with special needs. It says such children should be taught in a regular school environment so that they can learn better.Sources in NMC said around 796 children in the city have been registered under different categories, including students with impaired vision, impaired hearing, mentally challenged, autistic and students with learning disabilities. The number could be higher, since many parents do not send their children for assessment tests, sources claimed.Special educators have the patience to deal with such children and teach them coping with pressures of education. There are special schools for the hearing impaired, vision impaired and mentally challenged but kids with learning disabilities have very little support in the city. Although parents may be aware of it, there are very few able to spend time with these children. Deputy municipal commissioner Rizwan Siddiqui confirmed that posts were not filled and explained that the corporation had sent a request to the state government to empower the civic body to appoint mobile teachers without any written examination. "We are yet to get a reply," he said.