Unfortunate circumstances: State owned institutions for special children in pitiful state

Parents attribute misuse of financial resources to poor management by DG-SE

ISLAMABAD: An acute shortage of required funds may be one of the main reasons behind the current deplorable state of administration of ten national institutions for special children. The pitiful state of the institutions may also be credited to the careless attitude of the Directorate General of Special Education (DG-SE). 

The parents of the physically, visually, handicapped and mentally retarded students of these intuitions likewise have attributed the misuse of huge financial resources to poor management by the DG-SE.

The 10 institutions include, National Special Education Center for Visually Handicapped Children, National Special Center for Physically Handicapped Children, National Special Education Centre for Mentally Retarded Children, National Special Education Centre for Hearing Impaired Children, National Mobility and Independent Training Center, National Library and Research Centre, National Institute of Special Education, National Training Centre for Special Persons, National Braille Press for visually handicapped children and Special Persons, and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment for Special Persons, and all are in dire need of essential amenities, transport facilities, furniture and equipment.

While all ten institutions have become somewhat dilapidated due to mismanagement by the DG-SE, the National Education Centre for Physically Handicapped Children (NECPHC), Islamabad remains one of the most neglected. Only one official bus is being utilised for pick-and-drop services for over 200 physically handicapped male and female students. Old and defective furniture has required replacement for the past 5 years but the administration of NECPHC has been unable to meet the requisite financial expenses.

A total annual budget of Rs39,800,000 for 2014-15 is designated for the salaries and perks of about 600 employees of DG-SE out of which about 500 have become surplus staff members for the past four years. This amount is allegedly being misused in non-developmental expenditure by the DG-SE. The 500 employees of the DG-SE, rendered surplus after the devolution of the ministry of social welfare and special education to the provinces and special regions in April 2011, under the 18th constitutional amendment, are a huge strain on the budget of the DG-SE.

“Those surplus 500 officers and their subordinate staff have been absorbed in the directorate general of special education at the expense of handicapped children and special-needs persons,” parents alleged while requesting anonymity due to fear of possible reprisal by the accused officials.

NECPHC established in 1982 at the primary level has over the years been upgraded to the Secondary Level, since 2007. Girls and boys, aged 4-18, are enrolled at the centre as day scholars.

An official of the centre told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the federal government had never provided for developmental expenditure in the annual budget. The amount of Rs31,293,000 was allocated in the 2014-15 budget for non-developmental expenditure with an increase of 10 per cent in the annual budget of the centre. Subsequently, the administration is in search of few philanthropists who could provide funds to meet financial requirements.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2015.