New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court was today informed by the city government that over 250 private unaided schools in the national capital have the facilities to cater to children with special needs (CWSN).
The Directorate of Education (DoE) in its affidavit before a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and Vipin Sanghi said that there are around 50 schools in Delhi which have the facilities to deal with children having "low vision".
The court listed the matter for hearing on September 30. DoE has said that there are about 54 schools handling children with locomotor disabilities, 34 for hearing impaired and 22 for other disability.
There are also schools which can cater to children having blindness, autism, cerebral palsy, mental illness etc, it has said.
Most of the schools can cater to more than one disability, as per the affidavit, which was filed in pursuance to the court's September 1 directions.
On September 1, DoE was directed by the court to conduct "zone-wise" and district-wise inspection of private unaided schools to ascertain the facilities for CWSN.
It had also pulled up the city government for not taking actions against erring private schools for not providing information regarding CWSN and the number of such children admitted in nursery classes.
It had also suggested involving the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) to work out schemes, grantsor scholarships for CWSN and said the official concerned be present before the court on the next date of hearing.
Delhi government had assured the court that it would comply with all its directions for the next academic year and added that a nodal officer has already been appointed.