At present Special Education Department is providing education up to 12th standard (FSc) through 50 special education centres and one college in the Province. It is a separate entity headed by a Secretary with a hierarchy of establishment, to provide staffing and management as per standards and criterion according to international and national covenants, to which Pakistan is a signatory. The total numbers of employees are approximately 1600 including teaching staff of 600. There are 2700 students taking education in these institutes ranging from 1st standard up to college level. In these institutions, children with multiple disabilities are given admissions as per theft apparent disability and assessment through tools established by the experts in the field. The education is not only imparted free of cost but also these children get free books, uniforms, shoes, bags, pick and drop services etc.
The Department of Special Education has been consistently making efforts to provide state of the art education facilities to the children enrolled in these 50 education centres across the Province. There are three areas in which special emphasis is given (i) Teachers' Training (ii) Infrastructural Facility and (iii) Collaboration with NGOs. Special arrangements through latest mechanisms are being made to provide quality training to the teachers through training institutions or in collaboration with various organizations having expertise in the field. The idea is to develop a specialized cadre of teachers to deal with multiple disabilities.
In order to provide all infrastructural facilities, the Department is making efforts through new development schemes whereby outreach of these special education centres will increase up to Taluka level. In the first phase, 12 Taluka are included in this enhanced outreach programme, where special education centres will be opened to provide special education to population residing in rural areas of the Province. Through another ADP Scheme, a centre of Autism is being established in Special Education Complex, Karachi. This Autism Centre will be the first of its kind to deal with autistic children. Moreover, repair and renovation of existing 50 institutes/centres is also being carried out.
The Department is also making strenuous efforts to facilitate the working of NGOs in the area by providing Grant-in-Aid to these non-government organizations. Moreover, the forthcoming events of creating awareness, providing opportunities development of linkages and establishing job fairs for special people is being organized at the ABILITIES EXPO 2017 on 25th February, 2017 at the Expo Centre, Karachi in collaboration with Karachi Vocational Training Centre (KVTC). The organizing of this resourceful fair is a manifestation of Special Education Department's resolve to achieve an inclusive society where the most vulnerable section of the society may find solace.
Special Education Department would continue to make efforts with the sole objective of providing opportunities to the vulnerable section of the society. At the same time the Department is also conscious that the dreams of achieving the ideal inclusive society can be reached through consistent and collaborative efforts of the Government and civil society.
(The writer is By Mr. Abdul Waheed Shaikh Additional Secretary, Special Education Department Government of Sindh)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017