President Dr Arif Alvi has underscored the need for an inclusive education system to mainstream special children in normal schools for their effective participation in society. The inclusive education would help the special children to become a national asset, he said and added that after getting an education in normal schools, the children with disabilities could better serve society and get an education as per the market needs. The President said that employment quota in public and private sector institutions should be implemented and strictly monitored by concerned authorities so that the differently-abled-persons (DAPs) can support their families. The President gave these marks while addressing a briefing on disability by Special Education and Social Welfare Departments at Governor’s House. The meeting was attended by Governor Punjab, Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar, Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab Minister for Law and Social Welfare, Raja Basharat, Punjab Minister for Finance, Hashim Jawan Bakht and senior officials of the government of Punjab were also present.
Dr Arif Alvi underscored the need to develop a framework for classifying the disabilities so that DAPs could be provided facilities as per their requirements. He said that it was the responsibility of the government to look after the marginalized sectors of society. He said that the government was taking measures for the welfare of DAPs, and the private sector also needed to be encouraged to play their part for the provision of education to special children.
While highlighting the need to implement DAPs’ quota in the private sector, the President said that the private sector in partnership with the government could help special children by granting them access to state of the art learning opportunities. Dr Arif Alvi also stressed the need for employing DAPs and appreciated the steps taken by the Punjab Special Education Department and Social Welfare Department for taking effective and efficient steps for special children.
Earlier, Secretary Punjab Special Education, Syed Javed Iqbal, and Secretary Social Welfare Department, Hassan Iqbal gave a detailed briefing on DAPs. The meeting was briefed about special education and steps taken by the government for the provision of free education, pick & drop facilities, service delivery stipend, and uniforms. They briefed the meeting that during the last two years, the Punjab government had provided 62 new buses, and 14 special-education institutes were upgraded.
