The Federation members said that during Sikshya Sahayak recruitment, students with special education degrees and diplomas also used to be hired as junior teachers.
The employment of thousands of eligible students with degrees and certifications in special education has been clouded by the alleged failure of the State government to designate special educators in schools for differently abled children.
Since there haven’t been any special educators appointed in schools for nearly ten years, 6,000 aspirants who have completed special training and registered themselves with the Rehabilitation Council of India to teach children with disabilities in the State are currently sitting idle.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 mandates that state governments hire special educators in primary and upper primary schools to raise the calibre of instruction for children with disabilities. Each primary and upper primary school must have at least one special educator on staff. The State School and Mass Education (S&ME) department has not yet implemented any such measures, nevertheless.
According to sources, the S&ME department has been contacted on several occasions by the Secretary of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) to execute the provision. The S&ME department has not yet started the procedure for appointing these teachers, nevertheless.
At the block level, the government appointed 632 special educators for kids back in 2012. Members of the Odisha Special Educator Federation for Divyang claim that despite the enrollment of around 82,000 students with disabilities in 64,000 basic, upper primary, and secondary schools, no such appointment has been made at the school level to yet (OSEFD).
The Federation members said that during Sikshya Sahayak recruitment, students with special education degrees and diplomas also used to be hired as junior instructors. However, the lack of hiring for these positions since 2017 has also limited their access to employment.
According to a member of the Federation, “The delay in the appointment of such teachers is not only impeding the education of children with disabilities but also restricting employment opportunities for students who have pursued diploma, BEd, and MEd programmes in special education from 62 Special Training Centers throughout the State.”
According to the Federation, in July 2022, the Supreme Court mandated that States assign one special teacher for every ten kids with disabilities in primary schools and one teacher for every fifteen students in upper primary schools. Officials from S&ME could not be reached for comment on this issue.
Prasanta Patnaik