Only 3,833 out of 57,566 schools in T.N. have dedicated special educators, shows Rajya Sabha reply
Data from the Rajya Sabha reveals that only a small fraction of schools in Tamil Nadu have dedicated special educators for students with disabilities. Experts argue that the current system is inadequate and fails to meet the needs of disabled students.
Why it matters
The report highlights a systemic failure in inclusive education, emphasizing the gap between policy goals and the actual resources provided to students with disabilities.
Only 3,833 schools have a dedicated special educator, while there are 1,29,452 children with disabilities enrolled across Tamil Nadu, according to a reply in the Rajya Sabha. Tamil Nadu has 57,566 schools.
Replying to the question of Rajya Sabha Member Rajinder Gupta recently, Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary cited the UDISE 2025-26 and said 22,11,226 students with disabilities were enrolled in schools across the country, while only 1,16,695 schools had a dedicated special educator.
Activists and educationists noted this showed an imbalance in the education imparted to children with disabilities as the ideal student-teacher ratio was 1:10. “This also points to a dearth in special educators as it is difficult to find teachers who have completed B.Ed multiple disabilities. The second problem is that the pay for the teacher is quite low, which discourages them from taking up this profession,” said Sujatha Sriram, an inclusion expert.
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