Disabled children in North miss special educational facilities

The Vice chairman of the Walikamam Pradeshiya Sabha in Jaffna, Dharmalingam Nadendran lamented that the schools in the North lack facilities for the provision of special educational methods to children who are visually handicapped and/or hearing impaired due to the war.

He said as per the latest figures available, the number of disabled persons in the North, due to the war had reached 19,420. Earlier figures indicated the number around 4000, but with the completion of resettlement in the North, the exact figure is now available and among the victims, mostly are school children.

When queried from the chairman of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of Disabled, P. Subramaniam, who replied that already all Zonal Education Offices had been instructed to conduct a separate class room for these children, however the shortage of skilled teachers is retarding this process and thereby the disabled chil- dren miss the opportunity of receiving education in their own village school.

In the meantime, the officers of the Vavuniya hospital and the institute vested with the task of providing artificial limbs free said they had noticed a rapid increase in the number of persons calling over at these centers, who had lost limbs due to the war. Funds for this service are provided by the Ministry of Health and some NGOs. Cost of an artificial arm is Rs 35,000 and an artificial leg Rs 90,000.