Kollegal is one of the taluk of Chamarajanagar District, which lies to the East of the district. Kollegal has more than 140 habitated and non-habitated villages. According to Chamarajanagar District’s official website, Kollegal has 130 Primary Schools and 30 High Schools under Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan. But, there is not a single government special school for physically challenged children.
Mr. Rajkumar is a special educator in SDA School for Speech & Hearing impairment. He is also an activist for physically challenged persons in Chamarajanagar District. He said majority of the villagers complain that their disabled children cannot study because of no government schools nearby. According to Welfare Department survey done in March 2009, Mr. Rajkumar said there are 2765 disabled children in various villages.
When spoke to the villagers in Doddendawadi, Sidddaiahnapura & Madhunavahalli, the parents of handicapped children complained that there were no government special schools in whole Chamarajanagar district. They had to send their children to the NGOs, which run their schools in various villages under the taluk. The parents said that the so-called ‘Inclusive Education’ under Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan was not helping the handicapped children at all to cope up with the pace of progress with normal children.
With help of Mr. Rajkumar I interacted with many parents of handicapped children in various villages. We came across with Mrs. Shaina Taj of Doddendawadi village, who was deaf & dumb. She has a son & a daughter, both deaf & dumb. I asked Rajkumar to interpret with Shaina in sign languages and ask her about the future of their children & the number of government schools they have in the taluk. Rajkumar said that Shaina was conveying to him that there are no schools in villages. There were no government schools, he added.
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| A hearing impaired boy in SDA School in Kollegal. |
SDA School of Speech & Hearing Impairment in Sidddaiahnapura Village, PMSR’s Karunalaya School for Mentally Retarded in Lakkasaranapallya Village & Jeevan Jyothi Trust in Kollegal are the only three NGOs that run special schools in whole Chamarajanagar district. They have come forward to impart free education to the poor, disabled children from various villages in Kollegal.
SDA School of Speech & Hearing Impairment in Sidddaiahnapura Village caters to more than 60 children from various villages in Kollegal. Mr. Joseph K.S., Principal of SDA School of Speech & Hearing Impairment said, “Around 60 students from this taluk, and 40 students outside the taluk are studying here.”
The school gives them quality food to eat, trains them in candle making, tailoring and therapy to improve their speech. The school even imparts education above tenth standard, which majority of the disabled children remain devoid of. “This is the only school which is catering to special need children with the speech hearing problem in whole district and (the) whole Taluk.” said Mr. Rajkumar R. He added, “Some villages are (there) where they (are) kept them as Mugayya, means he cannot talk means he is speech impaired”
When Rajkumar asked the students, what they wanted to be in future they were very optimistic. He said, “She (Student 1) wants to be a computer programmer, she (Student 2) wants to do business, she (Student 3) wants to be a teacher and he (Student 4) wants to be tailor” When asked Mr. Siddaraja, Kollegal Taluk Coordinator, Child & Development Project Office (CDPO), Kollegal about whether the government was helping the NGOs by some grant or fund, he said “fund illa (No), fund illa (No)”. He said that they were not giving any funds, for all the three institutions.
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| A mentally retarded boy studying at a NGO school in Kollegal. |
Karunalaya Trust runs a residential school for mentally retarded children in Lakkasaranapallya Village. This is the only school for mentally challenged children in whole Chamarajanagar district, which imparts education to the poor handicapped children from various villages. “From the government none of the benefits are there. In their future to be independent we teach them many skills to improve their social communication”, said Mr. Kiran Kumar, Principal & Special Educator, PMSR’s Karunalaya School for Mentally Retarded, Lakkasaranapallya Village.
Mr. R. Jayaram, District Commissioner, Directorate of Disabled Welfare & Senior Citizens, Chamarajanagar District said, “Last month we conducted (with) interested NGOs like SDA, Karunalaya. The agenda was giving special schools to those NGOs from government side. Now they are running from their own.” When asked about if any kind of funds were given to the institutions he replied, “Basically we issue identity records, you know, On that basis the children from poor families can get pensions. In addition to that from our department side we are giving scholarships you know. If they come forward, from government side we will help”.
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| A severe mentally retarded boy in Karunalaya Trust. |
The handicapped kids from various villages in Kollegal don’t even know what lies in their future. They will never understand why has the government always been ignorant to them. The lack of support from the government has never been a hindrance for these NGOs. These schools and activists like Rajkumar are working hard so that these disabled children from various villages get a better education and a better future.
