Studies disrupted: Special Education School forced to suspend transport service

The service was discontinued two weeks earlier due to lack of funds.

PESHAWAR: Imran Khan, a student of eighth grade, has not been able to go to school for the last two weeks. Every day in the morning he waits patiently for his school’s van to show up and take him to school, but in vain.

Imran studies in the state-run Special Education School and Centre in Hayatabad. Due to a lack of funds for fuel expenditure, the school had to discontinue its transportation service which provided pick and drop facilities to 492 children with physical disabilities from all over the city.

“I contact the school administration daily to inquire about the transport service, but they tell me they do not have the funds for fuel and thus cannot resume it,” Imran’s father Irshad Ali told The Express Tribune.

Ali said they cannot afford the transport services provided by private vehicle owners, adding his son’s precious time was being wasted by being away from school for this long.



Ismail Khan, a resident of Bakhshu Pul, said suspension of the transport service has badly affected the studies of students with physical disabilities as they are unable to use public transportation like others. Many students residing in localities other than Hayatabad find it difficult to attend school now because of the unavailability of vans, he added,

When contacted, Special Education School and Centre’s Provincial Coordinator Asad Khan confirmed the transport service has been suspended since the past two weeks.

The institution  has nine buses and provided free pick and drop services to about 492 students across the city. The monthly cost of fuel amounts to about Rs0.4 million

Asad explained that after the 18th Amendment the school came under the district government’s supervision. “In 2012, the government gave us Rs3.1 million for fuel expenditure, but this year we only received Rs1 million which is not sufficient,” maintained Asad.

He added the institute had bought fuel worth Rs1 million on credit from a filling station. It is now compelled to discontinue the student transport service because it is out of funds to pay the dues of the filling station, lamented Asad.

The coordinator demanded the government to immediately release funds to the institution so it may restart its services.

The Special Education School and Centre provides free education from Nursery to Matric to children with physical disabilities. Apart from the school, the institute also runs a vocational centre to provide training to disabled persons.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2013.