Government ignoring children with special needs as online classes gain widespread acceptance

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, most of the states in India have shifted to online learning system, as there are no other choices left before the government. However, parents of children with special needs believe that no State in India is doing whatever they can do for these kids. It should be noted that children with special needs are finding it difficult to cope up with online classes, and parents are also clueless about how to educate them during these times of pandemic.

The life of a parent with children with special needs is very different from a normal parent. For these parents, life is always a war zone, and they are leading their lives just to take care of their children. Even though their children have limitations, what inspires them in life is the day on which their children start showing any kind of progress, verbally, physically, or mentally.

Several parents in the state of Kerala have left their high-paying jobs to take care of their differently-abled children. Even though Kerala is a state that boasts about its impeccable healthcare and educational sector, there are not even sufficient special schools to accommodate the rising number of children with special needs. As online classes are gaining widespread acceptance, differently-abled children are being side-lined, and their parents are in a dilemma on what to do with their kids.

“In my home, there are two differently-abled kids. As my younger daughter is very ill, I can’t send her to school. There are no schools for differently-abled kids nearby. However, my son who is autistic used to go to the nearby government school for the past three years. But post the coronavirus outbreak, he is totally away from education. It is practically impossible for an autistic kid to attend online classes. What I am doing now is just making him do the tasks like flower making and drawing as suggested by teachers,” said Sheela, the name has been changed as per request.

As parents of disabled children are facing their lifetime dilemma regarding the education of their kids, the government should also try to address the problems faced by this minority section in the coming weeks.