Shameful indeed. In Tamil Nadu 1 in 4 children with special needs never gets to attend school

While Tamil Nadu takes pride in the fact that 99.4% of its children between the age of six and 13 are in schools, the state seems to have forgotten about children with special needs. According to a national-level survey, one in four children with special needs is out of school in Tamil Nadu, according to a Times of India report.

There are 87,603 children with special needs in the 6-13 age group in Tamil Nadu. And, according to the survey, 23,627 of them, or nearly 27%, are out of school. Nationally, the situation is even worse, with 28% of children with special needs not attending school. The survey was conducted by Educational Consultants India Ltd and the Union ministry of human resource and development.

Experts say most schools in Tamil Nadu, especially private institutions, are not accommodative when it comes to children with special needs. "Many schools hesitate to admit children with special needs because they lack infrastructure," said Meenakshi Balasubramanian, projects coordinator of Equals - Centre for Social Justice, an organization working for the rights of disabled people told TOI.

The NGO surveyed 36 schools in Chennai last year to check their willingness to accommodate children with special needs. It found that only around 20% schools were open to admitting such children. "Around 90% of the schools lacked basic facilities like ramps and toilets for such children. All these are a part of an inclusive environment for a special child," said Balasubramanian. In many instances, family members were seen accompanying such children to schools, staying with them throughout. "This is considered loss of a source of income for the family," she said.

While it is mandatory for schools to admit children between the age of six and 13, experts suggest that to make sure that special children are not excluded from the system, teachers need to be trained in helping such children. Coimbatore-based psychologist and special educationist Purni Krishnakumar said: "Lack of training among teachers is a drawback for most schools, preventing admission of special children."

While the government's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is aimed at ensuring that every child in the age group of six and 14 gets education, the Right to Education Act, 2009 bars schools from denying admission to children with special needs. "In rural areas, block officers visit the schools to check if children with special needs are being admitted," said Purni. However, the efforts seem to be incomplete as 27% of such children are still out of school.

Experts say that most schools also fail to understand that educating a special child is not about teaching them to read or write. "Special children need to be educated with an aim of equipping them to live their daily life. For example, a child with speech disability needs to given speech therapy," said Santhya Vikram, founder of Yellow Train School, which attempts to accommodate as many children with special needs as possible at the kindergarten level told TOI.

Lack of equipment for special education in schools is also a reason for many special children to dropping out. Districts like Thanjavur, Krishnagiri, Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Tuticorin and Trichy saw a high dropout of girl children with special needs. Santhya Vikram suggested that the government make it mandatory for every school to have a remedial centre and special educators to make sure that special children are not denied admission. "When such children get the facilities they need, the percentage of out-of-school children will reduce," said Santhya to TOI.