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Himachal govt to open school, college for children with special needs: Sukhu
Children with hearing or impairment and specially-abled students have their own needs and they need space to grow, said Sukhu
The Himachal government is set to open a school and college for special needs in either Shimla or Solan district. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the deputy commissioners of both the districts to identify 40 bighas of suitable land for the school and college and a final decision of where to establish the institutes would be taken after the checking the land , officials aware of the matter said.
The institutions would cater to the needs of the children with hearing and/or speech impairment(s).
Children with hearing or impairment and specially-abled students have their own needs and they need space to grow, said Sukhu, adding that such institution were important for expansion of co-curricular activities among such students.
The chief minister added that there were an estimated 8,000 specially-abled children in the state and the institutions would be aimed at catering to their specific needs for holistic growth and development.
A school for children with hearing and speech impairments was first opened in the state in 1976. Virbhadra Singh had earmarked over ₹4.42 crore for another such institution at Dhalli, which never materialised and remained limited to papers and files. Many from the state had demanded that such a state be run by the department of social justice and empowerment, instead of the education department.
The chief minister said that plans were afoot to bring the already established school, which runs mostly on donations, in the ambit of the education department. There are nearly 150 students with various impairments studying in the institution for girls in Sundernagar. The government plans to start separate hostel facilities for girl children, Sukhu said. He added that many students with impairments were currently enroled in regular schools.
