The social welfare ministry is moving at a snail鈥檚 pace in recognising the non-government schools for children with disabilities in the country and then providing these schools with monthly payment order facilities.
An initiative was taken by the ministry six years ago, seeking online applications from the authorities of these schools for recognition and MPO facilities.
In response to the call in 2019, a total of 2,697 schools applied for the facilities, but officials of the ministry have so far assessed only 300 schools as part of providing the facilities.
Currently only 76 non-government schools for children with disabilities in the country are under the MPO facilities, according to ministry officials.
The number of people with disabilities in the country is now 35,78,723, they said.
Against the backdrop, a section of teachers of the non-government schools for children with disabilities recently demonstrated for over half a month in the capital Dhaka, demanding these facilities.
The Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2023 conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics showed that in 2023 in every 1,000 people 28.2 people had some form of disabilities or were incapable to do normal activities.
According to the social welfare ministry, of the 76 non-government schools for children with disabilities under the MPO facilities, 25 in Dhaka, 17 in Rangpur, eight each in Chattogram and Khulna, six in Barishal, five in Mymensingh, four in Sylhet and three in Rajshahi divisions.
Under the ministry, there are also 11 government schools for children with autism, seven government schools for children with speech and hearing disabilities, five government schools for visually impaired children and one centre for mentally challenged children.
Recently under the banner of 鈥楤angladesh coordination council of schools for children with disabilities鈥�, teachers from different districts had held sit-in programmes for 18 days in front of the National Press Club in the capital Dhaka since February 23, pressing for a five-point charter of demands.
The demands were immediate recognition and MPO facilities for all schools for children with disabilities, equipping all such schools with disability-friendly infrastructures, ensuring minimum education allocation of Tk聽3,000 for each student having disabilities, providing such students with midday meals, learning tools and sports items and implementing therapy centres, and offering employment and rehabilitation to the students with disabilities under the vocational education curriculum.
The teachers continued their sit-in programme in Dhaka till March 12.
On March 12, police dispersed them in the Press Club area after they blocked the road on their way to the chief adviser鈥檚 official residence Jamuna.
The council鈥檚 president, Md Elias Raz, earlier told 抖阴精品 that responding to the ministry鈥檚 December 2019 instruction for online applications from the schools for children with disabilities for providing recognition and MPO facilities, 2,741 schools across the country applied, of which the ministry accepted 1,772 applications.
But the government has not provided the schools with the facilities yet, forcing about 63,000 teachers and other staff of these schools to pass days in immense sufferings, he added.
Social welfare ministry additional secretary (institute and disability sub division) Bijoy Krishna Debnath said that in 2019 a total of 2,697 schools applied online after the ministry sough the applications.
He mentioned that to facilitate the private initiatives and to control quality, the government prepared Integrated Special Education Policy on Disabilities-2009.
Following the policy formulation, the ministry also formed a 12-member committee to facilitate the procedure of offering the recognition and MPO facilities to eligible non-government schools for children with disabilities.
One of the committee members told 抖阴精品 that at first the schools would be investigated to find if these are eligible to get the recognition and MPO facilities.
Upon fulfilling the criteria, these schools would be given recognition at the first stage and then these schools would get MPO facilities after getting approval from the finance ministry, the member said.
The member also said that a team of the ministry officials had assessed about 300 schools in the past six years.
The member said that the ministry officials had to investigate these schools after fulfilling their daily duties in the ministry, which caused the delay in assessment.
After assessing all the 2,697 schools, the reports would be presented to the committee for evaluation, the member added.
