The students with physical disability at Bal Kalyan Model Secondary School at Libang in Rolpa district have grieved that their learning experience in the school has been difficult in lack of adequate disability-friendly state support, services and facilities.
One such student, Chitra Bahadur Dangi, a 10th grader at the School, shared that his fellow students also demand that the state would avail them specific and special facilities and teaching-learning methods, given their disability.
Dangi argued that in lack of adequate budget to purchase teaching materials that are differently designed for such students who are mentally and physically different, teaching-learning activities have been a pressing issue among the teachers and students.
He further illustrated the inconvenience caused in learning activities due to the limited teaching resources, which again, as Dangi explained, they ought to reuse them for a longer time.
The government has been providing Rs 4000 monthly for accommodation and study of such students while additional Rs 1,200 goes to them for medical treatment.
But another student Lokendra Mahara argued that the amount is still not adequate for them to get by. He said, "Given the inflation in the daily consumable goods, the state allowance seems to be scant.”
Echoing with the students, teacher Om Sen admitted that they may have to consider closing the special classes run for the differently-able students if the government does not show sensitivity toward this issue.
Sen urged the concerned authority for their support to address the issues the School has been facing such as lack of proper disable-friendly infrastructures, insufficient specific teaching-learning materials and inadequate allowance for such students for food, lodging and medical care to continue the teaching-learning activities.
He demanded, "The government should be sensitive toward the protection of rights of people with disability, their welfare and their livelihood."
There are altogether 31 students with disability studying in this school. Among them, five are mentally-retarded students, 13 visually-impaired and similar number hearing-impaired students.
The school had incorporated special class for the students with disability since 2060 BS.
There are two such schools incorporating special class for the differently-able students. Krishna Primary School at Dharapani is another one. And much to the dismay; it is also suffering the similar fate when it comes to offering educational facilities to the students with disability.
